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HUNTINGTON FREE LIBRARY
AND READING ROOM
MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN
HEYE FOUNDATION
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Collection
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Al
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SOME OF ITS PROMINENT MEN AND PIONEERS.
By JAMES H. SMITH,
ASSISTED BY HUME H. CALE AND WILLIAM E. ROSCOE.
Published by D. MASON & CO.,
SYRACUSE, N. Y.
Y^' ■ - ... .
— 1882 —
SYRACUSE, N. Y.:
TRUAIR, SMITH & BRUCE,
PRINTERS AND BINDERS.
1882.
Introduction,
In the preparation of the History of the County treated of in this volume, the authors have endeavored
to confine themselves to a concise and truthful statement of facts, leaving deductions and moralisms,
except where such were necessary to a proper elucidation of the subject, to the individual reader; and in
gleaning these facts they have laid under contribution every available source of information, in the eifort
to arrive at correct data. This, however, has not always been possible, for much is given that rests for
its authority entirely upon verbal statements, which, even among the best informed, are subject to the
lapses of memory. When conflicting statements have been observed, an honest effort has been made to
reconcile them and make them conform to the probable fact. To this end, records have been consulted
where such existed and were accessible, both to supplement and estabhsh a verbal fact, and as an original
source of information. These, however, though enabling us to correct many errors in statements of facts
made by other writers, were often fragmentary, sometimes entirely wanting, and while their incompleteness
was perplexing, their frequent indefiniteness was even more so, so that it was often necessary to supple-
ment them by verbal information.
The materials for such a work were widely scattered. They lay mainly in the imperfect town, county,
church, school, society and private records, and in the vague and faded memories of individuals. Much time,
labor, diligent research and patient inquiry have been required to gather these materials and collate them
into systematic order. Every town has been visited, and its records and well-informed citizens have been
consulted. In addition to these, the files of local and other papers have been scrutinized, and the works
of numerous authors laid, under contribution ; but as the latter have generally been referred to in the text
especially when quoted, we do not deem it necessary to enumerate them here. A few local gleaners of
acknowledged ability in this field of historic inquiry have rescued from oblivion much that has served to
embellish the annals of Duchess.- The fruit of their labors was kindly placed at our disposal.
We fully appreciated the onerous task assumed when we undertook to gather and compress within the
limited time and space allotted us, the abundant materials which make up the annals of a County of such
historic importance as Duchess. Much more might have been given, enough to swell the volume to twice
its present size, by the amplification of subjects and the multiphcation of details which some would regard
with interest and others as unimportant. Indeed, it was found necessary to eliminate much that was
prepared and to omit still more that was gathered in order to bring the materials within the scope of the
work. In discarding matter we have aimed to retain that which seemed most important — most worthy
of preservation.
An earUer preparation of the work would have lessened the labor and produced more satisfactory results,
as it would have given access to the personal experience and relations of many of the immediate descend-
INTRODUCTION.
ants of the first settlers, with whom have died facts and incidents which are now beyond recall. But few
of this sacred remnant are left with us, and fewer still retain their faculties sufficiently to relate coherently
and positively the interesting incidents of that early period. It must, therefore, be obvious that the time
for the publication of this work had fully come, and that a longer delay would only have added to the
obscurity of the facts and the difficulty of their acquisition.
The history of Duchess County dates back to the period when the Hudson was discovered by the
English navigator whose name it bears, though actual settlement was not commenced until three-quarters,
of a century later. The first settlers were Dutch, though no settlement was made under the Dutch regime,
and for fully half a century after it was begun it progressed but slowly. From the middle of the eighteenth
century, however, its growth was rapid^ and not until then did it approximate a primal importance. The
development of its varied industries and institutions is succinctly stated in the succeeding chapters.
Though this County is not as rich in historical incidents fraught with tragic interest as the counties
which bordered on the confines of civilization during the French and Indian wars, the sanguinary struggle
of the Revolution, and the more recent but memorable war with the mother country, which etched in
lines of blood the history of these eventful scenes, it witnessed many of the most pathetic and memorable
incidents of the Revolutionary struggle, and though no battle was fonght within its precincts, its soil is
not unhallowed by blood shed to establish those principles which, eighty-two years later, its sons fought so
nobly to perpetuate. Around the Revolutionary period cluster its most endearing associations. It has,
too, a pacific history, to which many will recur with interest, — yea, with reverence.
We are aware that in adopting an orthography in the name of this County differing from that which
usage has sanctioned since its organization, we enter upon debated ground, and a reason for this step may
seem to be due to those who diifer with us in opinion. We adopt this orthography in deference to that
progressive spirit which seeks to simplify and purify our language by purging it of its redundancies and
philological anomaUes, believing that the public mind will ere long demand official recognition of ortho-
graphic changes in this word corresponding with those to which philologists, etymologists, orthoepists and
lexicographers have long since subjected that from which it is derived.
This County was named in compliment to the Duchess of York, whose title, like that of all wives of
Dukes, is derived from the French word duchesse, which was authoratively spelled with a /until 1755,
when Dr. Johnson, the English lexicographer, omitted the t, and likewise the final e. The example thus
set has been followed by others, including Webster. It cannot be denied that the popular and official
form of the word has the sanction of precedent and long established usage ; but the same may be urged
with respect to its original, and analogy would suggest a conformity of the derivative to it. It may, how-
ever, be fairly questioned whether it is the legitimate province of the historian, whose duty it is to record
things as he finds them, to introduce such innovations, without subjecting himself to the charge of icono-
clasm, if not of sciolism. Highly respected local writers, however, agree with us in advocating this change.
In conclusion, the authors take this opportunity to tender their grateful acknowledgments to the many
who, in various ways, have so kindly aided them in this laborious work, and to testify to the uniform
courtesy which was extended to them, and the cordiality with which their labors were seconded by the
hosts from whom it became their duty to solicit information.
Contents.
CHAPTER I. —Aborigines — Pre-Historio Period-
Antiquity of America — Ancient Civiliza-
tions — Obscurity of the Origin of the
North American Indians — Indian Tradi-
tions Bespecting It— Migrations of the
Lenni Leuapes — The Mahicang a Branch
of the Lenape Family — Extent and Loca-
tion of their Dominions 11
CHAPTER II.— The Iroquois Family— The Algon-
kin Family — The Delawares — Relative
Bank of the Three Tribes of the Dela-
wares— Their Organization and Govern-
ment— Duties and Powers of the Chief —
Organization and Government of the Ma-
hicans — Method of Declaring War — Of-
fensive and Defensive Weapons 16
CHAPTER III.— Aborigines of Duchess County-
Divisions of the Mahicans— Their Terri-
torial Possessions — The Wappingers —
Conflicting Statements Respecting their
Location — Chieftaincies of the Wappin-
gers— The Head Chieftaincy Located in
Duchess County — Villages of the Wappin-
gers— Traditional Indian Villages 19
CHAPTER IV. — Contemporaneous Emigration of
Delawares and Iroquois from the West —
Wars Between the Delawares and Iro-
quois— Differing Views Respecting the
Subjugation of the Delawares by the Iro-
quois— Wars Between the Iroquois and
Mahicans — The Mahicans Unsubdued—
Their Subjugation Asserted by Various
Historians — These Statements Refuted by
Documentary Proof —Traditional Reverses
of the Mahicans — Their Losses and Dis-
persion— War of 1755 — The Delawares in
the Revolutionary War 23
CHAPTER V. — The Moravians — Moravian Mission
at Shekomeko — Christian Henry Ranch
Establishes the First Successful Moravian
Mission in North America at Shekomeko —
Joined by Buettner— Joseph Shaw sent to
Shekomeko as Schoolmaster — The Mis-
sionaries Pyrlsaus, Senseman and Post
join the Mission — Mission at Pachgatgoch
Broken (Jp — Persecutions of the Mission-
CHAPTER v.— (Continued.) page.
aries and their Indian Converts — Death of
Buettner — Indians Driven from Shekome-
ko and Wechquaduaoh — Interest in She-
komeko and Wechquadnach Revived af-
ter the Lapse of a Century — Their Sites
Identified — Monuments Erected Thereon
to the Memory of the Missionaries Buett-
ner, Bruce, and Powell 28
CHAPTER VI.— Hudson's Discovery and Explora-
tion of the North River — Diverse Claims
of the English, French and Dutch — Char-
acter of the Dutch Colonists of New Neth-
erlands— The United New Netherland
Company — The Dutch West India Com-
pany— Dutch Colonization — The Esopus
Wars — The Destruction of Wiltwyok —
Expedition to Red Hook during the Sec-
ond Esopus War — Friendly offices of
Wappingers — Indian Treaty of 1664 —
Supersedure of the Dutch by the English. 40
.CHAPTER VII. — Titles to the Soil— Extinguish-
ment of the Indian Title — Land Patents
— Rombout Patent — Schuyler's Patent-
Great or Lower Nine Partners Patent —
Poughkeepsie Patent — Rhinebeck Patent
— Beekman Patent — Little or Upper Nine
Partners Tract — Oblong Patent — Dis-
puted Boundary Line Between New York
and Connecticut— The Oblong Granted
to English and American Patentees — De-
fective Titles — Anti-Bent Difficulties 47
CHAPTER VIII.— First Settlements — Traditions
Respecting Them — Projected Settlement
of New Englanders at the Mouth of Wap-
pingers Creek — NicholasEmigh Supposed
to be the First Settler — Settlements at
Poughkeepsie and Bhinebeck — The Pala-
tines—Huguenot Settlers — First Census
of Duchess County, 1714 — Freeholders in
Duchess County in 1740 — Descriptions of
the County in 1756 and 1813— Population
of County at Different Periods from 1714
to 1880— Present Status of the County-
Enrollment of Quakers in 1755 — Slaves in
Duchess County in 1755 — Early Civil Pro-
cesses—Oaths of Abjuration and Fealty
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER Vin.— (Continued.) page.
in 1760— Observations on Duchess Coun-
ty in 1780-'82, by the Marquis DeChastel-
hix 55
CHAPTER IX.— Early Civil Divisions— Duchess
County Divided Into Wards, Precincts
and Towns — Topography of County — Its
Mountains and Streams — Climate — Tem-
perature—Rain-FaU — Snow-Fail— Direc-
tion and Prevalence of Winds — Mortality
of Duchess as Compared with other Coun-
ties in the State — Soils — Agriculture —
Staple Productions — Manufactures 69
CHAPTER X.— Geology — Underlying Rocks of
Duchess County — Rocks of the Cham-
plain Division — Rocks of the Hudson Riv-
er Group — Grit and Slate Rocks — Utica
Slate Group — Trenton Limestone Gtroup —
Black River Limestone — Calciferous
Group — Barnegat Limestone — Roofing
Slate — The Taconic System — Metamor-
phic Rocks ^ — Dolomitic and Granular
Limestone — Duchess County Marble — The
"Stone Church"— Steatite— Iron Ore-
Galena — Copper — Silver — Gold — Prima-
rj- Rocks — Granite — Hornblende — Sienite
— Gneiss — Mica Slate — Augite Rock —
Greenstone — Alluvial Deposits — Shell
M.irl— Peat— Sink Holes— "Spook Hole"
— Clay Balls and Calcareous Concretions
— Mineral Springs — Gas Springs — Sub-
terranean Streams— Inflammable Gas —
Sulphate of Iron — Bog Ore — Manufactur-
ers of Bricks — Topographical Changes —
Drift Deposits — Smoothed and Scratched
Surfaces of Rocks — What they Indicate... 78
CHAPTER XI. — Internal Improvements — Routes
by which the Pioneers Reached their Wil-
derness Homes — Early Roads — Early Ex-
periments in Steam Navigation at DeKov-
en's Bay — Early Railroad Enterprises in
Duchess County — Duchess Railroad Co. —
Poughkeepsie and Eastern Railroad Co. —
Poughkeepsie, Hartford <fe Boston Rail-
road Co. — Duchess & Columbia Railroad
Co. — Newburgh, Duchess & Connecticut
Railroad Co. — Hudson River Railroad
Co. — New York & Harlem Railroad Co. —
Boston, Hartford <fc Erie Extension Rail-
road Co. — New York & New England
Railroad Co. — Other Railroad Projects —
Clove Branch Railroad Co. — Rhinebeck &,
Connecticut Railroad Co. — Projected and
Abandoned Enterprises — The Poughkeep-
sie Bridge Co 96
CHAPTER XIL— County Societies— Duchess Coun-
ty Medical Society — Homeopathic Medi-
cal Society of Duchess County — Duchess
County Mutual Insurance Company 103
CHAPTER XIII.— Early Courts- Courts First Au-
thorized in Duchess County— First Court
House and iTail in Duchess County— As-
CHAPTER XIII.— (Continued.) page.
^ sessments of Wards and Precincts at Dif-
ferent Periods — Subsequent County Build-
ings— Jail Limits — County Poor House —
Duchess County Civil List — Miscellaneous
Appointments to Distinguished Positions
— Delegates to State Constitutional Con-
ventions— State Senators — Members of As-
sembly—First and County Judges — Sur-
rogates — District Attorneys — Sheriffs —
County Clerks — County Treasurei s —
County Superintendents of Common
Schools — School Commissioners — Presi-
dential Electcrs— Senators and Represen-
tatives in Congress 118
CHAPTER XIV. —Military History of Duchess Coun-
ty— French and English Colonial Wars —
War of the Revolution — Military Organi-
zations in Duchess— Provincial Congress
— Measures for the FoHnation of a State
Government — Continental Ship Yard at
Poughkeepsie — Chain Across the Hudson
— Sir Henry Clinton's Expedition up the
Hudson — The Duchess Invinoibles — Sur-
render of Burgoyne and March of his
Army Through Duchess County as Pris-
oners of War — Fishkill a Depot of Sup-
plies for the Continental Army— Historic
Associations of Fishkill — Enoch Crosby —
Revolutionary Incidents in Pawling —
Adoption of the State Constitution —
Printed in Fishkill — State Government
Removed to Poughkeepsie — Tories At-
tempt the Seizure of Notable Men — Arti-
cles of Confederation Ratified by the Leg-
islature in Poughkeepsie — The Conven-
tion to Consider the Revised Federal
Constitution Meet in Poughkeepsie —War
of 1812 129
CHAPTER XV — Duchess County in the War of the
Rebellion — Early Measures to Suppress
Rebellion — Prompt and Generous Re-
sponse of Duchess County — ^Additional
Troops Called For — Some of tfie Organi-
zations with which the Early Volunteers
United— Call of July 2d, 1862— Military
Districts Formed — Regimental Camp at
Tivoli— Changed to Hudson— A District
Regiment Authorized— Town Quotas Un-
der the Call of July 2d, — Call of
August 4, 1862— Efforts to Promote En-
listments—The 128th Regiment— Its Or-
ganization and Services 142
CHAPTER XVI,— Duchess County in the War of
the Rebellion— Measures Instituted for
the Raising of a Duchess County Regi-
ment—Regimental Camp at Poughkeepsie
Authorized— War Meetings and Measures
to Promote Enlistments— Camp Duchess
—Muster and Departure of the l.^Oth for
the Seat of War— Arrival of the Regiment
at Baltimore— Joins the Army of the Po-
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XVI.— (CoMTiNUED.) page.
tomao — ^Participates in the Battle of Get-
tysbiirg — Transferred to the Army of the
Cumberland — The Atlanta Campaign —
Sherman's March to the Sea^ — Toilsome
and Perilous March Through the Carolinas
— Last Battle of the il50th — March
Through Richmond to Washington — The
Return — Muster out and Welcome Home. 155
CHAPTER XVII.— Duchess County in the War of
the Rebellion — Third District Regiment —
Fails to Complete its Organization — Prep-
arations for the Draft— Suspension of the
Draft — Services of the 21st Militia Regi-
ment Tendered and Accepted — Departure
For the Seat of War — Return and Wel-
come Home — The Draft in Duchess Coun-
ty—Aid of the Military Invoked— Call of
October 17, 1863 — Recruiting Agents Ap-
pointed—Enlistments of Colored Men —
Call of February 1, 1864— Call of March
15, 1864— Call of July 18, 1864— Progress
of Enlistments — Third Draft in Duchess —
Statement of Bounties Paid — Call of De-
cember 19, 1864 — Fourth and Last Draft
in Duchess— Close of the War — Woman's
Work in the War 165
CHAPTER XVIII.— History of the Town of Red
, Hook 172
CHAPTER XIX.— History of the Town of Milan... . 214
CHAPTER XX.— History of the Town of Pine Plains 220
CHAPTER XXI.— History of the Town of North East 238
CHAPTERXXII.— History of the Town of Rhine-
beck 252
CHAPTER XXIII.— History of the Town of Clinton 284
CHAPTER XXIV.— History of the Town of Stanford 291
CHAPTER XXV. ^History of the Town of Hyde Park 299
CHAPTER XXVI)- History of the Town of Pleasant
Valley 311
CHAPTER XXVIL— History of the Town of Wash-
ington 320
CHAPTER XXVIII. —History of the Town of Amenia 334
CHAPTER XXIX.— History of the Town of Pough-
keepsie — Topography of the Town — De-
rivation and Signification of^ Name —
Streams — Soil — Population — Area —
— Schools — First Settlement-^Early Land
Transfers Affecting the Town and City of
Poughkeepsie — Tax list of Poughkeepsie
Precinct in 1771 — Wappingers Falls
(Channingville) — New Hamburgh — Roch-
dale— Manchester — East Poughkeepsie —
Clinton Point — Milton Ferry — Van Wag-
ner's— Locust Glen — The War of the Re-
bellion 357
CHAPTER XXX. —History of the City of Pough-
keepsie — Poughkeepsie in 1799 — Tax
Lists of 1805, 1849 and 1880 Compared—
Poughkeepsie in 1812 and 1824 — LaFay-
ette's Visit — Poughkeepsie as Seen
CHAPTER XXX.— (Continued.) page.
Through Gordon's Eyes in 1836— The
" Improvement Party "—Poughkeepsie in
1841 — Dieturnell's Description of Pough-
keepsie in 1842 — Electric Telegraph First
Introduced Into Poughkeepsie — Popula-
tion of Poughkeepsie at Different Periods
— Village and City Officers from the Date
of Incorporation — First. Settlement 373
CHAPTER XXXI.— Poughkeepsie's Mercantile In-
terests 381
CHAPTER XXXII.— Poughkeepsie's Commerce and
Water Transportation — The Poughkeep-
sie Transportation Company — The Pough-
keepsie & Highland Ferry Co. Limited —
The Express Business in Poughkeepsie... 385
CHAPTERXXXIIL— Poughkeepsie's Manufactures 387
Banks of Poughkeepsie 396
CHAPTER XXXIV.— The Press of Poughkeepsie... 399
CHAPTER XXXV. —Educational Measures and In-
stitutions in Poughkeepsie — The Public
Library of Poughkeepsie — Private Schools
of Poughkeepsie — Duchess County Acad-
emy— Poughkeepsie Female Academy —
Poughkeepsie Collegiate School — River-
view Academy — Cottage Hill Seminary —
The College Preparatory School — Cook's
Collegiate Institute for Young Ladies —
Eastman Business College — Vassar Col-
lege— Bishop's Select School for Boys —
Dr. Warring's Boarding School — Pelham
Institute — Bockfie's School for Young La-
dies— The Home Institute — Literary Soci-
eties and Institutions of Poughkeepsie —
The Poughkeepsie Lyceum of Literature
Science and Mechanic Arts — The Pough-
keepsie Literary Club — The Poughkeep-
sie Society of Natural Science — Vassar
Brothers' Institute 405
CHAPTER XXXVI.— Churches of Poughkeepsie... . 418
CHAPTER XXXVII.— Auxiliary Religious, Benevo-
lent and Charitable Institutions — Young
Men's Christian Association — Hudson
River State Hospital — Old Ladies' Home
— Vassar Brothers' Home for Aged Men —
St. Barnabas Hospital — House of Indus-
try — Charity Organization Society —
Poughkeepsie Orphan House and Home
for the Friendless 430
CHAPTER XXXVIII.— City Water Works — Fire
Department — Fraternities — Poughkeepsie
Gas Light Co. — Citizens Gas Co.— City
Railroad Co.— Hotels and Taverns 432
CHAPTER XXXIX.— Poughkeepsie in the Rebellion 439
CHAPTER XL.— History of the Town of LaGrange 467
CHAPTER XLI,— History of the Town of Union
Vale 474
CHAPTER XLH.— History of the Town of Dover... 480
CHAPTER XLIII.— Histoiyof the Town of Wappin-
ger 491
CONTENTS.
PAGE.
CHAPTEB XLIV.— History of the Town of Fish-
kiU 605
CHAPTER XLV. —History of the Town of East Fish-
kill 536
CHAPTER XLVI.— History of the Town of Beek-
man 544
CHAPTER XLVII.— History of the Town of Pawl-
ing 550
ILLUSTRATIONS.
Akin Hon. Albert J., Pawling, portrait, (steel)
„ ....facing 560
"Ankony," residence of William B'ergh Kip, Rhino-
beck between 262-263
Ayrault George, La Grange, portrait, (steel)
between 472-473
"Ayrault Place," residence of George Ayrault,
LaGrange between 472-473
Bartow Mrs. Ehzabeth D., East Fishkill,view of resi-
dence between 540-541
Blair Robert, Fishkill, portrait facing 536
Bentley Col. Gilbert, Clinton, portrait (steel). ..facing 289
Bisbee Otis, Poughkeepsie, portrait facing 458
" Bois Dor6," residence of R, P. Huntington, Rhine-
beck facing 272
BoWne James, Poughkeepsie, portrait facing 445
Bi-iuckerhoff James B. Jr., Fishkill, view of resi-
dence facing 633
Brown Samuel, Beekman, portrait facing 549
Carpenter Hon. B. Piatt, Poughkeepsie, portrait,
(steel) between 442-443
Carpenter Hon. B. Piatt, Poughkeepsie, view of resi-
dence facing 443
Carpenter Hon. Morgan, Poughkeepsie, portrait
(steel) between 442-443
Carpenter Hon. Isaac S., Stanford, portrait, (steel)
facing 299
Carpenter Hon. Jacob B., Washington, portrait, facing 333
Carpenter Hon. Jacob B., Washington, view of sum-
mer residence between 322-323
' ' Callendar House,"residence of Johnston Livingston,
Red Hook 213
Cairo Adam, Poughkeepsie, view of pottery and
sewer pipe manufactory facing 392
Campbell Cornelius N., M. D., Poughkeepsie, portrait 457
"Cedar Hill," residence of R. M. Taggart, Pough-
keepsie between 450-451
"Cedar Hill," view of entrance and grounds. ..facing 460
" Cedar HiU," view of barn between 450-461
Central Pawling Baptist Church 566
Clark Colonel Henry F., Poughkeepsie, portrait
between 444-445
Clark Colonel H. F., Poughkeepsie, view of medals
awarded between 444-445
" CliffSale," residence of Mrs. Cordelia E. Boardman,
Poughkeepsie between 440-441
"Cliffdale," view of the lake between 440-441
"Chateau of Tivoli," residence of Colonel 3. L.
dePeyster, Red Hook 212
" Cliffdale," view of the entrance 441
Congdon Jarvis, Washington, portrait 330
Cooper John R., M. D., Poughkeepsie, portrait 461
Davies Wm. A., Poughkeepsie, view of the Hudson
river from the farm of facing 364
Dibble House, Fishkill 525
DePeyster Major General J. Watts, Red Hook, por-
trait, (steel) facing 204
Butcher House, Pawling ....between 552-568
Dutcher Hon. J. B., Pawling, view of residence,
between 564-555
Eastman Place, Poughkeepsie 411
Eastman Place, South Avenue approach 411
Eastman National Business College, Poughkeepsie,
view of ,. "138
"Eden Hill," residence of John P. Adriance, Pough-
keepsie facing 388
Elting Captain L., Poughkeepsie, view of the Hudson
river and Catskill mountains from residence,
between 406-407
Eno Wm. S., Pine Plains, view of residence. ..facing 287
"Ferncliff," residence of Wm. Astor, Rhinebeck,
view of the lawn facing 264
"Ferncliff," view of the race stables... between 264-265
"Ferncliff," view of the cattle barns between 264-265
"Ferncliff," view of farm entrance and coach house
facing 265
"Ferncliff," view of conservatories, the approach
to the mansion, and park view facing 281
" Ferncliff," view of lawn and river, and of the Cats-
kills facing 282
"Ferncliff," view of the entrance and lodge 281
"Ferncliff," view of residence, from the lawn front
...between 282-283
"Ferncliff, view of residence, from the river front,
between 282-283
"Ferncliff," The Ambassadress, N. Y. Y. C, at
anchor v.. .facing 283
Friends Brick Meeting House at Nine Partners,
facing 327
FaBkill Ironworks, Poughkeepsie between 388-389
First American Flag Hoisted over Richmond, April
3d, 1865 209
GiUender Theophilus, Rhinebeck, portrait 280
"Hemlock Farm," former homestead of Alexander
H. Cofan, Union Vale 479
"Homestead," residence of William H. Taber, Pawl-
ing facing 561
Hooker James, Poughkeepsie, portrait, (steel) facing 460
Howard Hon. James, LaGrange, portrait facing 467
Innis George, Poughkeepsie, view of residence, '
' facing 373
Ketoham Hon. John H., Dover, portrait facing 484
Lamoree George, Pleasant Valley , portrait facing 316
CONTENTS.
"Lawn Brook," residence of Dr. D. Guernsey,
Amenia between 356-357
"Leacote,'' residence of Douglas Merritt, Khine-
beck facing 25.5
Lossing Benson J., view of birth-place, Beekman, 547
" Marienruh,"residence of Louis A.Ehlers,Khinebeck,
facing 28+
Martin Homestead, Bed Hook, property of Edward
Martin, view of facing 186
Merritt Wm. T., Poughkeepsie, portrait facing 447
Mizzen-Top Summer Hotel, Pawling between 558-559
Nine Partners Boarding School, from a sketch by
Alex. H. Coffin in 1820 facing 327
Nichols Thomas G., Poughkeepsie, portrait 459
Odell Luman B. , Beekman, portrait self and wife,
between 548-549
O'Brien John, Bhinebeck, view of residence, facing 268
"Old Store Building" in Mechanic facing 328
"Kose Lawn," residence of Edgar M. Vanderburgh,
Washington between 334-335
"Eose Hill," residence of Major General J. Watts
dePeyster, Bed Hook 210
" Eose Hill," view of tower and library, . 211
Eiverview Military Academy, Poughkeepsie... facing 409
Eossevelt James, Hyde Park, view of Hudson Eiver
from residence facing 302
St. Paul's Church, Eed Hook 193
St. Paul's Church, Red Hook, view from the South, 195
St. Paul's Church, Eed Hook, view from the West, 196
St. John's Church, Pawling 557
Storm John V., Fishkill, portrait facing 506
Sohell Augustn8,NewXork City, portrait (steel) facing 455
Shear John C. and A. , La Grange, view of residence
between 468-469
Shear John C, La Grange, portrait, (steel'). ..facing 471
Skidmore Peter Akin, Beekman, portrait 549
Sleight Peter E., La Grange, portrait facing 473
Tallman John P. H., Poughkeepsie, portrait (steel)
facing 452
Taber William H., Pawling, view of residence,
facing 561
Taber WiUiam H., Pawling, portrait < 561
"The Locusts," residence of Wm. B.Dinsmore, Hyde
Park between 300-301
" The Locusts," view of the lawn in front of resi-
dence between 302-303
"The Locusts," view of the flower garden and
conservatories between 304-305
" The Locusts," view of the lodge and carriage house
facing 306
" The Locusts," view of farm yard, bam and
stables between 306-307
"The Locusts," view of the carriage house. ..facing 307
" The Locusts," view of the garden facing 309
" The Locusts," view of avenue from the post-road 309
" The Locusts," view up the Hudson river from the
landing facing 310
"The Locusts," Initial 310
"The Locusts," view of residence from the river
between 310-311
Thompson Hon. John, Poughkeepsie, portrait, (steel)
facing 448
Thome Jonathan, New York City, portrait, (steel)
facing 329
" Thorndale," residence of Edwin Thome, Washing-
ton, view of lodge and entrance 331
"Thorndale," view of residence facing 332
" Thorndale," view of the farm bams and training
stables between 332-333
Thorne, old homestead of Samuel, and birth-place of
Jonathan, Washington, facing 328
Tower Albert, view of summer residence, Beekman,
facing 547
Tuthill Samuel, M. D., Poughkeepsie, portrait 451
Vassar Matthew, Poughkeepsie, view of birth-place, 412
Vassar Matthew, Poughkeepsie, view of first resi-
dence in Poughkeepsie 413
Vassar Matthew, Poughkeepsie, view of last residence, 413
Van Voorhis Major WiUiam Eoe, Fishkill, portrait,
(steel) ' facing 534
Van Voorhis Major William Eoe, Fishkill, view of
homestead 535
Van Voorhees Johannes Coerte, view of homestead 535
Wheeler Francis B., M.D., Poughkeepsie, portrait... 462
Whitehouse, residence of the late Hon. John 0.,
Poughkeepsie facing 404
Whitehouse Hon. John 0., Poughkeepsie, por-
trait facing 454
Whitehouse John O., Poughkeepsie, view of boot
and shoe factory facing 387
Willets Jacob, portrait, Washington, 329
Willets Deborah, portrait, Washington...; 329
" Wood-Cliff," residence of John F. Winslow, Pough-
lie between 380-381
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Akin Hon. Albert J. Pawling 560
Ayrault George, LaGrange 472
" Ayrault Place," LaGrange 473
Brown Samuel, Beekman 549
Bentley Col. Gilbert, Clinton 289
Bisbee Otis, Poughkeepsie 457
Bowne James, Poughkeepsie 445
Bockfie Family, Poughkeepsie 442
Blair Eobert, Fishkill 536
Booth George, Poughkeepsie 463
" Callendar House," residence of J. Livingston, Eed
Hook 213
Campbell Cornelius N., M. D., Poughkeepsie 457
Carpenter Hon. Isaac S., Stanford 299
Carpenter Hon. Morgan, Poughkeepsie 442
CONTENTS.
PAGE.
Carpenter Hon. B. Piatt, Poughkeepsie 443
Carpenter Hon. Jacob B., Washington 333
"Cedar Hill," residence of B. M. Taggart, Pough-
keepsie 460
"Cliffdale" residence of Mrs. C. E. Boardman
Poughkeepsie 441
Clark Henry P., Poughkeepsie., 444
Coffin Family, Union Vale 479
Congdon Jarvis, Washington 330
Cooper John K. , M. D., Poughkeepsie 461
DePeyster Family, Bed Hook 204
EnoWm. S., Pine Plains 237
"Perncliff," residence of William Astor, Ehine-
beck 281
Friends Brick Meeting House, Washington 327
Gillender Theophilus, Ehinebeck 280
Guernsey Desault, Amenia 3.56
Howard Hon. James, LaGrange facing 467
Hooker James, Poughkeepsie 460
Ketcham Hon. John H., Dover facing 484
Lamoree George, Pleasant Valley facing 316
Lossing Benson J., Dover., 488
"Marienruh," residence of Louis A. Ehlers, Bhine-
beok 283
Members of the Poughkeepsie Bar 463
PAGE.
Merritt Wm. T., Poughkeepsie 447
Medical Prof ession of Poughkeepsie 466
Nine Partners Boarding School 326
Nichols Thomas G. , Poughkeepsie 459
Odell Luman B., Beekman 548
Skidmore Peter Akin, Beekman 549
Schell Augustus, New York City 455
Shear John C., LaGrange 471
Sleight Peter B., LaGrange 473
Swan Cyrus, Poughkeepsie 451
Storm John V. , Fishkill facing 506
TaberWm. H., Pawling 561
Tallman John P. H.. Poughkeepsie 452
"The Locusts," residence of Wm. B. Dinsmore,
Hyde Park 310
The Old Store Building in Mechanic, Nine Partners, 328
Thompson Hon. John, Poughkeepsie 448
" Thomdale," residence of Edwin Thome, Washing-
ton facing 330
Tuthill Samuel, M. D. , Poughkeepsie 451
Vanderburgh Edgar M. , Washington 334
VanVoorhis Family, Fisl^^ill 534
Willets Jacob and Deborah, Washington 329
Wheeler Francis B., D. D., Poughkeepsie 462
Whitehouse Hon. JohnO., Poughkeepsie 454
HISTORY
OF
Duchess County
CHAPTER I.
Aborigines — Pre-Historic Period — Antiquity
OF America — Ancient Civilizations — Theo-
ries Regarding their Origin — Obscurity of
THE Origin of the North American Indians —
Analysis of Theories Respecting It — Indian
Traditions Respecting It — Migrations of
the Lenni Lenapes — The Mahicans a Branch
of the Lenape Family — Extent and Loca-
tion of their Dominions.
' ' ^ X 7" HAT we usually term the begin-
V V "^'"g of history," says Humboldt's
Cosmos, "is only the period when the later genera-
tions awoke to self-consciousness." The historic
period for the region of country the history of
which it is the purpose of this volume to give,
may be said to date from the advent of European
explorers to its contiguous shores — more specifi-
cally of that English discoverer, whose name has
been given to the noble river which washes its
western border — for their reports give us the
first as well as the most exact and comprehen-
sive account we have of the people who then
inhabited it. These people are classed under the
generic term Indians — a name which obtains
from the fact that when this continent was discov-
ered by Columbus and others who succeeded him
in search of a western passage to the East Indies,
it was supposed to be the eastern shore of the con-
tinent of India.* Their history prior to their inti-
* Indians of North A merica, I, 3.
mate association with civilized people is shrouded
in obscurity, and is transmitted to us in the form
of vague and fragmentary legends. The Indians
were a barbaric race and have left no written his-
tory, except that we occasionally discover traces of
their rude paintings and still ruder engravings.
But these are pronounced merely the totems of the
Indians by Catlin, who says, " I have been unable
to find anything like a system of hieroglyphic writ-
ing amongst them."* Heckewelder, however,
says, that, although they "do not possess our
art of writing," and " have no alphabets, nor any
mode of representing to the eye the sounds of
words spoken, yet they have certain hieroglyphics,
by which they describe facts in so plain a manner,
that those who are conversant with those marks
can understand them with the greatest ease, as
easily, indeed, as we can understand a piece of
writing."! But these records were of so perishable
a nature as to be almost valueless for historical pur-
poses. They were made upon fragments of bark,
or upon the smooth surface of trees from which the
bark had been removed for that purpose. This
absence of a connected written history is, however,
compensated in a measure by the less enduring
reUcs, consisting of the implements of husbandry,
the chase and war, which the plow and other means
of excavation have numerously disclosed. Their
fortified villages and places of burial are rich also
in suggestive incidents.
*Catlin's North American Indians^ II, 246.
\ Historical Account of the Indian Nations^ in Transactions of the
American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, 117.
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
Who were the aborigines of this country is a
subject of much learned inquiry. It is pretty gen-
erally believed that the races who occupied it on
the advent of the Europeans, were preceded by
one more numerous and more highly cultured,
though- the evidence that such is the fact is meager
and unsatisfactory. De Witt Clinton points to the
numerous mural remains which existed throughout
the northern, central and western parts of this
State, and to the more remarkable ones bordering
the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and their branches
as evidence of the fact ;* while more recent authors,
reasoning from more exact data, ascribe the origin
of the former works to a much more recent date,
and to a different race of people than the latter.f
The evidences referring to a pre-historic period
within this State are rare, though the celebrated
Pompey stone X may be cited as an instance of
this character, without, however, furnishing neces-
sarily conclusive proof.
That the nations of the eastern hemisphere had
knowledge of the existence of the American conti-
nent long before its discovery by Columbus, their
literature gives abundant evidence ; and that its
aboriginal inhabitants were descended from eastern
peoples is generally conceded, though the theory
that American antiquity ante-dates that of Asia, is
not without its advocates.
Humboldt, from his observations of the remains
of the civiUzations of Mexico and Central America,
was convinced that communication had existed
between the eastern and western continents, evi-
dence of which he found in the religious symbols,
the architecture, the hieroglyphics, and the social
customs made manifest by these ruins ; and the
Abbe? Brasseur de Bourbourg shows that the sym-
bols of phallic worship, once so prevalent, and still,
to some extent, practiced in the East, were de-
* CoUectioMS oftlie New York Historical Society for 1814, 89,
t Says E. A. Squier, M. A., " * * * none of the ancient works of this
State, (New York, ) of which traces remain, displajing any considerable
degree of regularity, can lay claim to high antiquity. All of them may be
referred, with certainty, to the period succeeding the commencement of
European intercourse." — Antiguiiies of New York and the ]Vesi, 9.
X This is a small boulder about thirteen inches long and twelve inches
wide, bearing a most remarkable inscription and figures, which, if genu-
ine, and correctly interpreted, furnishes what is supposed to be the ear-
liest evidences of the presence of Europeans in North America. It dates
back to a period earlier than the discovery of New England, New York
or Virginia, a hundred years earlier than the-founding of Plymouth colony,
and within twenty-three years of the discovery of the new continent by
Cabot. It has been reasonably conjectured by the author of Clark's
Onondaga to be a sepulchral monument, erected, possibly, by a party of
Spaniards, who, stimulated by the love of adventure, allured by the love
of gold, or driven by some rude blast of misfortune, may have visited that
region and lost one of their number by death. This stone was found some
sixty years ago at Watervale, in the town of Pompey, in Onondaga
county, which town, says Dr. Henry S. Holmes, Librarian of the State
Library at Albany, " has yielded up more relics of the aborigines than
any other place in this State."
scribed by the Spanish writers at the time of the
conquest. " These," says Baldwin, "with the ser-
pent devices, the sun worship, and the remarkable
knowledge of astronomy that existed in connection
with them, show a system of religion,'' of which,
with the social institutions it consecrated, "Asia,"
says the Abb^," " appears to have been the cradle."
" The traditions of these countries," says the same
author, " are still more explicit. Their uniform
testimony is, that the ancient American civiliza-
tion came originally from the East across the
ocean." *
The origin of the barbarous Indians of North
America is buried in even greater obscurity than
that of the probable aborigines of this continent.
Our information regarding it is almost wholly tra-
ditional and conjectural. Eiforts have been made
to connect them with the Mound-builders as their
progenitors, and there are able .advocates of the
theory which supposes the unity of the races ; but,
says Foster,! ^ broad chasm is to be spanned before
we can link the two, who, he says, " were essen-
tially different in their forms of government, their
habits and their daily pursuits." The former,
" since known to the white man, has spurned the
restraints of a sedentary life, which attacfl to agri-
culture, and whose requirements, in his view, are
ignoble. He was never known to erect structures
which should survive the lapse of a generation."
" The Mound-builders," he adds, "cultivated the
soil in a methodical manner, far different from the
mode presented by the present Indians," and he
cites as evidence "the vestiges of ancient garden-
beds" left by them. Baldwin says, referring to the
savage tribes, or wild Indians, their barbarism was
" original ;" there was nothing to indicate that they
or their ancestors, near or remote, had ever been
civilized, " even to the extent of becoming capable
of settled life or organized industry."| He adds,
"the constant traditions of these Indians, sup-
ported by concurring circumstantial evidence, ap-
pears to warrant the belief that they came to this
part of the continent originally from the west, or
north-west, at a period too late to connect them in
this way with the Mound-builders." After referring
to the skill of the Mound-builders in the ceramic
and other arts, he asks, "who can imagine the
Iroquois or Algonquins working the copper mines
vi'ith such intelligence and skill, and such a com-
bination of systematic and persistent industry!
* Pre-Historic Nations^ by John D. Baldwin, A. M., 391-395.
t Pre-Historic Races of the United States, 347.
i Ancient America, 59.
PROBABLE ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS.
13
They had no tradition of such a condition of life,
no trace of it. It is absurd to suppose a rela-
tionship, or a connection of any kind, between
the original barbarism of these Indians and the
civilization of the Mound-builders. The two
peoples were entirely distinct and separate from
each other. If they really belonged to the same
race, which is extremely doubtful, we must go back
through unnumbered ages to find their common
origin and the date of their separation."* Says
Bancroft, " It has been asked if our Indians are
not the wrecks of more civilized nations." He
answers : " Their language refutes the hypothesis,
every one of its forms is a witness that their ances-
tors were, like themselves, not yet disenthralled
from nature."!
Charlevoix and other later writers have entered
into elaborate disquisitions on the probable origin
of the American Indian, and the curious reader
will find much to interest, if not to instruct him on
this vexed question. The theory of a northwest-
ern immigration by the barbarous hordes of Asia
has long been advocated and has gained credence
among modern authors generally. John de Laet,
a Flemish writer, was an early advocate of this
theory and among the first to remark 3, resem-
blance in the features, complexion and manners of
the Scythians, Tartars and Samoeides and those of
the American Indians. "Ledyard," says Bancroft,
"whose curiosity filled him with the passion to
circumnavigate the globe and cross its continents,
as he stood in Siberia, with men of the Mongolian
race before him, and compared them with the
Indians who had been his old playfellows and
schoolmates at Dartmouth writes deliberately that,
universally and circumstantially, they resemble the
aborigines of America. On the Connecticut and
the Obi, he saw but one race." "The American
and Mongolian races of men, on the two sides of
the Pacific," adds the latter author, "have a near
resemblance. Both are alike strongly and defi-
nitely marked by the more capacious palatine
foBsa, of which the dimensions are so much larger
that a careful observer could, out of a heap of
skulls, readily separate the Mongolian and Ameri-
can from the Caucasian, but could not distinguish
them from each other. Both have the orbit of the
eye quadrangular, rather than oval; both, especial-
ly the American, have comparatively a narrow-
ness of the forehead ; the facial angle in both,
but especially in the American, is comparatively
* Ancient America, 59-61.
t History of the United States, II, 4i7'
small; in both, the bones of the nose are flatter
and broader than in the Caucasian, and in so
equal a degree, and with apertures so similar, that,
on indiscriminate selections of specimens from
the two, an observer could not, from this feature,
discriminate which of them belonged to the old
continent ; both, but especially the Americans, are
characterized by a prominence of the jaws. The
elongated occiput is common to the American and
the Asiatic; and there is to each very nearly the
same obliquity of the face. Between the Mon-
golian of Southern Asia and of Northern Asia
there is a greater difference than between the
Mongolian Tartar and the North American. The
Iroquois is more unlike the Peruvian than he is
unlike the wanderer on the steppes of Siberia.
Physiology has not succeeded in defining the quali-
ties which belong to every well-formed Mongolian,
and which never belong to an indigenous Ameri-
can; still less can geographical science draw a
boundary line between the races."* Priest's obser-
vations led him to the conclusion that " Asia and
America were peopled by similar races of men."t
The traditions of the Lenni Lenape % or Dela-
wares as they are called by the English, say that they
" resided many hundred years ago in a very distant
country in the western part of the American conti-
nent." They resolved to migrate eastward, and hav-
ing reached the Mississippi, then fell in with the
Mengwe, (Iroquois,) who had likewise emigrated
from a distant country and struck upon this river
somewhat higher up. The Iroquois, like the Dela-
wares, were preceding eastward. The country east
of the Mississippi was inhabited by the Alligewi,§ a
* History of the United States, II., 460,461.
t A merican A^quitifS.
X Lenni Lenape, says Heckewelder, who spent forty years among the
Indians as a Moravian missionary, is the national and proper name of the
people we call Delawares. It signifies ^^ *■ original people,' a race of
human beings who are the same that they were in the beginning, ««-
changed and unmixed?' The Lenape are known and called, he says,
by all the western, northern, and some of the southern nations, by the
name of Wapanachki, which, among them, is a generic name, signifying
" 'people at the rising of the sun,' or as we would say, Eastlanders"
and which the Europeans corrupted into Abenaki, Openagi, Ahenaguis
and Abe7takis.-~(Introduction to Jlisiorical Account of the Indian
Nations, 25-26.) '* The term Lenape," says Schoolcraft, '^ appears to
carry the same meaning as inaba, ainale, and the word was probably
used nationally, and with emphasis in the sense of men." Loskiel
defines the name *'' Lennilenape," as meaning ** Indian tnen,^' and ^ays
'^ the name Delawares was undoubtedly first given them by the Euro-
peans."— {History of the Mission of the Uftiied Brethren among tlie
Indians in North America, hy George Kehrv Loskiel, Part I., Chap.
I., i.)
§ " It is generally believed," says Yates and Moulton^ (History of New
York,) "that the Allegewi, QxAUeghans, were of Welch origin. Priest"
(American Antiguities,) traces the A liegewi from the lake country to
the "vale of Mexico, where they finally and permanently rested," and
there assumed the name of Aziecas, or people ofvthe lakes. The course
pursued in their migration is marked by the mounds where they rested,
or dwelt temporarily. Schoolcraft says, ** they occupied a large portion
of the western area of the State of New York, comprising the valley cif
the Alleghany river to its utmost source, and extendingeastwardly an un-
defined distance." "The Alleghany river and mountains," says Hecke-
welder, have " indubitably been named after them." — (Historical Ac-
count of the Indian Nations, 30.)
14
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
powerful nation, of great physical development,
who had many large towns and regular fortifica-
tions of earth on the great rivers flowing through
their lands. They denied the Leuape the privilege
of settling in their neighborhood, but gave them
permission to pass through their country to the
eastward ; when, however, they observed the great
numbers of the latter they were alarmed and treach-
erously attacked with great fury those who had
crossed the river, . threatening the others with
destruction if they persisted in crossing. The
Lenape, being too weak to force a passage against
so powerful an enemy, made common cause with
the Iroquois, and after a series of sanguinary
battles, continuing through many years, and in
volving immense losses on either side, the AUigewi,
to avoid destruction, abandoned their country and
fled down the Mississippi, whence they never re-
turned.*
These traditions agree substantially with those
of the Mahicans,t who inhabited the country
immediately east of the Hudson, and were, says
Heckewelder, a branch of the Lenape family.
The Lenape and Iroquois lived peaceably in the
conquered territory of the AUigewi for a long
period — "some say many hundred years" — and
rapidly increased in numbers. Eventually some
of the more enterprising Lenape hunters and
warriors crossed the mountains to the Atlantic and
discovered the Susquehanna and Delaware rivers
and subsequently the Hudson. After a long
* Heckewelder's Historical Account of the Indian Nations^ 29-32.
t Joannes De Laet, who published his Mieuwe Wereld\ or description
of the West Indies, as the country was then denominated, sixteen years
after Hudson's discovery, designates them by this name ; also in his
map of Nova Anglia Novem Belgium et Virginia, (in Novus Orbis.)
According to Messrs. Dr. Barton and Heckewelder, ( Yates and Moui-
ton^s History of New York^ za6,) the Mankikani imd Mahikans of
DeLafit ; the Mahiccanders (Joost Hartger's work, printed in Amster-
dam, in 1651,) Mohicanders (Barton) and Nahikanders, (Benson's
Memoir,) of the Dutch ; the ManhikaTis, Mahikans or Mokegans, ac-
cording to Prof. Ebeling, and the Mohegans or Mahhekanew, the
original name of the Mohegans, (Gov. Clinton Dis. 2 N. Y. : H. Col.
41,) according to the English, (See Edwards on the Mohegan language :)
the Mokiccans, Mahiccon^ (Ch. Thompson, Esq.,) and lastly the Mahic-
cans and Mahicanni-, ( Barton and Heckewelder,) were aU one people,
originally a branch of the Delaware nation. The name, as adopted by
the early French writers, and given by La Houtan in the old Algonkin, is
Mahingan- (Ruttenber, 51.) Heckewelder says he-is unacquainted with the
origin of the name — Mahicanni — ( Ms Communication to Dr. Miller, 1801,
in Library of the New York Hist. Soc ) Its equivalent — the word Mohe-
gan— says Schoolcraft is not the true Indian term, having been shorn of a
part of its true sound by the early French, Dutch and English writers.
"It was a phrase to denote an enchanted wolf, or a wolf of supernatural
power "—the wolf being "the prevailing totem of all the Hudson River
cantons." The modern Mohegans called themselves Muhhekaniew^ a
term correspondiuR, apparently, with that (Muhheakunnuk) used by
Capt. Hendrick, the Mohawk Chieftain, in his^radition of the Mahicans,
which simifies "great waters or sea, which are constantly in motion,
either ebbing or flowing,"' and which, being the place of their nativity,
was not resembled by any stream in their migrations towards the east
until they reached the Hudson. [.Indian Tribes of Hudson^ s River^ 50,
51. Coll- Mass. Hist. Soc, IX , loi.)
absence they returned, and gave so favorable an
account of the newly discovered country as to
induce the belief among their brethren that it was
"destined for them by the Great Spirit." They
emigrated thither, at first in small numbers, till
the great body of the nation had made it their
place of abode, with their central possessions on
the Delaware. Here they divided themselves into
three tribes. The Turtle, the Turkey, and the
Wolf — calling themselves respectively, the Unamis,
the Unalachtgos, and the Minsis. The former two
chose for their place of settlement the country
lying nearest to the seaj while the Minsis, who
were considered the most warlike and active,
located to the northward, between them and the
Iroquois, who lived in the vicinity of the great
lakes and on their tributary streams.
The Minsis' territory extended originally from
the head-waters of the Delaware and Susque-
hanna south to the mountainous regions of New
Jersey and Pennsylvania, and from the Hudson
west and south-west far beyond the Susquehanna.
Their council fire was located at Minnisink.
These tribes, says Heckewelder, multiplied and
separated into distinct branches, taking the names
of "simple natural objects," or of "something
striking or extraordinary," and settling in distant
localities; until, he says, nearlyforty tribes honored
them with the title oi grandfather, "a title which,"
says Ruttenber, " some of them continue to apply
to the present day."* " This was the case with the
Mahicanni or Mahicans, in the east, a people who
by intermarriage had become a detached body,
mixing two languages together, and forming out
of the two a dialect of their own : choosing to live
by themselves, they had crossed the Hudson River,
naming it Mahicannituck River after their assumed
name, and spread themselves over all that country
which now composes the eastern states." f This
statement of Heckewelder's warrants the assump-
tion that the Mahicans, who inhabited the coun-
try east of the Hudson, were the progenitors of the
Pequots and Mohegans, who inhabited Connecticut
and the country north of it, and were believed by Dr.
Trumbull to be one tribe, taking their names "from
* Indian Tribes of Hudsot^s River, 47.
" The Delawares call all Tuitions, (except the Uengwa, as they, or
' Maqua,' as the Mahicanni term the Five Nations or Iroquois, and
except the Wyandots or Hurons,) this side of the Mississippi, and even
beyond it : all the southern nations, all the eastern, and those of the
Canadas (except as above,) 'iV<7(7fAwwjai,' that is, ' my grandchild-
ren ;,' and these all acknowledge the Delawares their ' Mochomes,'ita.i
is, 'their grandfather.' "—Yates and Moulton's History of New
York, 217.
Schoolcraft bears equally strong testimony to this fact.
^Heckeweldet's Historical Account of the IncUan Nations, 26 35.
EARLIEST ACCOUNTS OF THE MAHICANS.
IS
the place of their situation."* "The Pequot country
proper," says Ruttenber, was principally within the
three towns of New London, Groton and Stoning-
ton ;"t and that author, as well us Gallatin J and
DeForrest,§ assumes the identity as to race of the
Mahicans, Pequots and Mohegans, though he as-
serts a distinct tribal organization. || Elsewhere
Heckewelder quotes authorities IT supposing the
identity of the Mahicans and Pequots.**
The Mahicans, who, says O'Callaghan, ("the
Mahicanders or River Indians,") lined the Hud-
son on either side to its mouth,tt '^^.d, according
to Heckewelder's account, been confined to the
east bank of the river at the time of Hudson's
advent in 1609. Heckewelder's information " of
the extent of country the Mahicanni inhabited,"
(the best he could obtain,) " was from an aged and
intelligent man of this nation, whose grandfather
had been a noted chief." He said the western
boundary was the Mahicanniltuck, (the Hudson or
North River ;) and that their " settlement extended
on the east side of this river froni Thuphane or Tup-
hanne, (a Delaware word for cold stream, from
which the whites have derived the name Tappan,)
to the extent of tide water up this river; here was
the uppermost town. From thence our towns were
scattered throughout the country on the smaller
rivers and creeks." " Our nearest neighbors on
the east," continues the narrative, " were Warapano.
These inhabited the Connecticut river Jf down-
wards, and had their largest town where the sea
runs a great way into the land, and where the white
people have since built a town, which they call New
Haven. These (the Wampano) were in possession
of an island, which the white people call Rhode
Island. Adjoining the Wampano, east, were the
Munachkcanni ; next to these the Paamnakto ; then
the Patuchtinnau ; then the Wawidchtenno, and the
Machtitschwdnnau. These latter lived at or near
a place on the sea, where there were a number of
islands together, through which a strong current
ran, wherefore they were called by this name,
which signifieth the same. All these nations were
with the Mahicanni Hke one, and assisted their
grandfather, the Delawares, in carrying on the war
* History of Connecticut.
t Indian Tribes of Hudson^s River., 4J, (note.)
X Gallatin. II , 34-
§ History of the Indians of Connecticut.
> 11 Indian Tribes of Hudson^ s River-, 44.
H Coll. Mass. His. Soc. IX, 77. Trumbull^s History of Connecticut,
I, 28.
** Historical Account of the Indian Nations, 78.
tt His.ory of New Netherland, I., 47.
%\ Connecticoota, meaning Long River, was the Indian name.— Judge
Benson's Memoir.
against the common enemy the Maqua, until the
white people had come into their country. Our
grandfather (the Delawares,) owned and inhabited
all the country from the extent of tide-water above
Gdschtenick* to the extent of tide-water, in a river
far to the south, where a place was called Pathd-
mook or Pate-ham-inok.\ Clean across this extent
of country (viz, from Albany to the Potomac,) our
grandfather had a long house, with a door at each
end, one door being z.X Pate-ham-mok, and the oth-
er at Gdschtenick ; which doors were always open
to all the nations united with them. To this house
the nations from ever so far off used to resort,
and smoke the pipe of peace with their grandfather.
The white people coming over the great water, un-
fortunately landed at each end of this long house
of our grandfathers, and it was not long before they
began to pull the same down at both ends. Our
grandfather still kept repairing the same, though
obUged to make it from time to time shorter, until
at length the white people, who had by this time
grown very powerful, assisted the common ene-
my, the Maqua, in erecting a strong house on
the ruins of their grandfathers.''^ This accords
substantially with a communication from Dr. Bar-
ton, which says, " the Mahicans occupied * * * ■
the east side of the Hudson, from a site opposite
to Albany down to the Tappan Sea. They were
chiefly confined to the Hudson shore, or within ten
or fifteen miles east of it."§ "Tliese were the
people that swarmed the eastern banks of the river
when Hudson sailed by their settlements, from the
borders of the Manhattans to the tide-water beyond
Albany. They were so much more numerous than
other Indians on the same river, that they in par-
ticular were subsequently denominated the River
Indians."||
Wassenar, an early Dutch writer, states that at
the time of the discovery, the Mahicans held
twenty-five (seventy-five English) miles on both
sides of the river in the vicinity of Fort Orange,
which was built on their lands ; but concludes with
the statement that the Maquas (Iroquois) held the
west shore. This latter statement harmonized with
that of DeLaet, who wrote in 1625; and, sajs
Ruttenber, if it is considered that Wassenar wrote
"at different periods extending from 1621 to 1632,
* The Mahicanni name for Albany.
t The Potomac. This is a Delaware word which signifies "an arrival
of persons hy water. ^^
% Heckewelder's Ms. Communication to Dr. Miller, iSoi. Library
New York Hist. Soc. Yates and Moulton's History of New York,
217-229.
§ Ms. with New York Hist. Soc.
11 Yaif^s and Moulton^s History of New York, 230.
i6
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
his account will be found entirely consistent with
itself." " From information subsequently obtained,
however," adds Ruttenber, "and especially that
furnished by treaties and other documentary papers,
it would appear that at the time of the discovery, the
Mahkans held possession under sub-tribal organi-
zations, of the east bank of the river from an un-
defined point north of Albany to the sea, includ-
ing Long Island; and that their dominion extended
east to the Connecticut, where they joined kindred
tribes ; that on the west bank of the Hudson they
ran down as far as Catskill, and west to Schenec-
tady."* Messrs. Yates and Moulton think it
"probable that they had in former times reached
to the head-waters of the Hudson, until they met
their rivals in the vicinity of Lacus Irocoisia,
(Champlain,) or near the Green Mountains west of
that lake. There is no doubt they once owned
and occupied the. Saratoga tract, now including a
county of that name in this State."t
CHAPTER 11.
The Iroquois Family — TheAlgonkin Family —
Their Inherent Weakness — Universality
OF their Language — The Dela wares — Rel-
ative Rank of the Three Tribes of the
Delawares — Their Organization and Gov-
ernment— Succession of Chieftaincies He-
reditary in the Female Line — Duties and
Powers of the Chief — Indian Mode of Ex-
piating Murder — Organization and Gov-
ernment OF THE MaHICANS — METHOD OF DE-
CLARING War — Offensive and Defensive
Weapons — Preparations for War — Endur-
ance and Sufferings of Indian Warriors —
Indian Torture — Indian Totems.
WHEN the Europeans first had inter-
course with the aborigines of North
America, the latter consisted of two great famiUes,
* Indian Tribes of H-udsan's Rivtr, 34. Wassenar's Historie Van
Euro^a, Amsterdam 16ZI-1632.
t History of New York, 95, 230. From the translation of the Sara-
toga purchase, (among the manuscripts of the New York Hist. Soc.,) say
these authors, (230, note,) it appears that the * 'iWarAf>tff«rf" Indians were
present at the court-house in A'bany, July a6, 1683, at the purchase of
the lands at Saratoga, and saw the Mohawks receive payment. Being
required to say whether they had any claim on the lands, they then de-
clared that they desisted from all right and ownership which they former-
ly had thereto, deferring to the discretion of the purchasers to give them
something of an acknowledgment or not, as it was their land of old,
before the Mohawks conquered (or won ) it. They also signed a quit-
claim or memorandum, declaring in the name of the whole nation who
might have any pretension to the same, that they would, so far as respects
their Nation, clear them from all demands. Whereupon the purchasers
gave them seven duffels garments, as a w^Wfon'fl/ of the aforesaid pur-
chase, two half casks of beer, and two kegs of wine. Albany Records,
C. fol. 290.
who are at present known as the Iroquois* and
the Algonkins.f The immediate dominion of the
Iroquois proper, or Five Nations, extended from
the borders of Vermont to Western New York, and
from the lakes to the head-waters of the Ohio,
Susquehanna and Delaware. To the north and
west lay the Huron, Neutral and Erie nations, and
to the south the Andastes, all kindred tribes of the
Iroquois family.
The Algonkin family was much more numerous
than that of the Iroquois, but lost much of its
eifective strength by being dispersed over a wide
extent of country. This made many of its tribes
an easy prey to the rapacity of the Iroquois, who,
from the want of thorough concert of action among
their enemies — for though cognate they were not
coherent — were enabled to attack and subdue them
in detail. " The primitive lafaguage which was the
most widely diffused, and the most fertile in dia-
lects," says Bancroft, "received from the French
the name of Algonkin. It was the mother tongue
of those who greeted the colonists of Raleigh at
Roanoke, and of those who welcomed the pilgrims
to Plymouth. It was heard from the Bay of Gasp^
to the valley of the Des Moines; from Cape Fear,
and, it may be, from the Savannah, to the land of
the Esquimaux ; from the Cumberland River of
* This was the French name for the five confederate nations of Indians
who resided mostly within this State, and was given them, says Charle-
voix, because they usually began and finished their speeches with the word
hiro, which means, " I say," or " I have said," and combined as an affix
with the word Koue, is an exclamation expressing joy or sorrow, accord-
ing as the pronunciation is long or short. {Gameai^s History of Can-
ada.') By the Dutch they were called "Maquas." They denominated
themselves "Mingoes," meaning United People. (Clark's Onondaga.)
Their true name is " Hodenosaunee, " or " People of the Long House,"
because the five nations were ranged in a long line through Central New
York, and likened to one of their long bark houses. (Parkman's
Jesuits.) Loskiel says "they call themselves AqiianuschUmi, that is.
United People ; always to remind each other that their safety and power
consists in a mutual strict adherence to their alliance." (Mission of the
United Brethren, Part I., Chap. I., l.) They also call themselves
"Canossioone," or " Konossione," meaning, in the Iroquois language,
"the whole house, or all the Indians together." (Colonial History, IV.,
78, 196. )
They were subsequently denominated the Six Nations on the admis-
sion to their confederacy in 171 3, of the remnant of the Tuscaroras, who
formerly belonged to them, (Colonial History, V., 176, 387,) and who,
in resisting the encroachments of the proprietaries of North Carolina,
who assigned their lands to the German Palatines, were almost destroyed
in their fort on the River Taw, March 26, 1713, having lost 80a in pris-
oners, who were sold as slaves to the allies of the English. The Tusca-
roras were assigned lands by the Oneidas, west of and in close proximity
to them, and they, like the Oneidas, remained friendly to tile colonists
during the Revolutionary war, while the rest of the Six Nations mostly
remained the allies of the English.
t The French called them .Adirondacks, or, more properly, a tribe liv-
ing in Canada, bearing the family name. (Colonial History, V., 791,)*
In Iroquois the name signifies "tree eaters," (Colonial History^ IV.,
899,) and was given them in derision by the Mohawks, because, subsist-
ing mostly by the chase, during the long Canadian winters when game was
scarce, they were driven by hunger to subsist for many weeks together
upon the buds and bark and sometimes upon the young wood of forest
trees.
ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNMENT OF THE DELAWARES.
17
Kentucky to the southern bank of the Missinipi.
It was spoken, though not exclusively, in a territory
that extended through sixty degrees of longitude
and more than twenty degrees of latitude."*
We have in a preceding chapter followed the
Delawares, the principal branch of the Algonkin
family, in their migrations from the west to the
east, and fixed the location of the Mahicans, a
branch of the Delawares, at the period of Euro-
pean settlement, on the east side of the Hudson.
The Delawares, as we have seen, were divided
into three tribes, of whom, says Loskiel, " the
Unami are considered as the head of the nation,
the Wunalachtikos are next in rank, and then
follow the Monsys."\ Each tribe was but a union
of families,! and each had a chief, who, says Los-
kiel, was nothing more than the most respected
among his equals in rank. Each chief, he adds,
had his counselors, who were " either experienced
warriors, or aged and respectable fathers of fami-
lies." These constituted the council, " appointed
to watch over the welfare of the tribe." In mat-
ters regarding the whole nation they s'ent repre-
sentatives to attend a general council. It was
imperative that the chief be a member of the
tribe in which he presided. He was not chosen
by his own tribe, but by the chiefs of the two
other tribes, who, with their counselors and whole
tribes, moved in procession with singing towards
the place appointed for the election to take place,
entering the council house at the east end. The
succession depended on birth, and was inherited
through the female line. The child belonged to
the clan of the mother, not that of the father,
from whom it could not inherit anything. All
rank, titles and possessions passed through the
female. The son of a chief could never be a
chief by hereditary title, though he might become
one through personal merit ; but a grandson, great-
grandson or nephew might succeed him.
" This system of clanship with the rule of
descent inseparable from it, was," says Park-
man, " of very wide prevalence. Indeed, it is
more than probable that close observation would
have detected it in every tribe east of the Missis-
sippi; while there is positive evidence of its ex-
istence in by far the greater number." The Chip-
pewas, however, furnished an exception to this
rule. With them, says Loskiel, the son of a
chief had a legal right to succeed his father.
* History of the United States, II., 394-J9S-
t History of the Mission of the United Brethren among the Indians
in North America, Part I., Chap. I., p. '■.
X Bancroft's History of the United States, II., 417.
This rule, though binding, was very elastic, and
capable of stretching to the farthest Hmits of the
tribe. Invariably with the Delawares the chief
was succeeded by a near relative, well acquainted
with the affairs of the State, but he must always
be acceptable to the whole nation.
The new chief was inducted into office by a
formal council of the chiefs of the nation, who en-
joined on him his duties regarding the preserva-
tion or re-establishment of peace, and admonished
him not to meddle with the affaiis of war, but to
keep his people from it, continually to attend to
the welfare of his nation, and willingly hear their
remonstrances if he should commit a fault. He
was required, with the advice of his counselors, to
keep good order amongst his tribe, and to decide
all quarrels and disputes; but he could neither
command, compel nor punish, as in that case he
would have been forsaken by the whole tribe.
Every word savoring of command was immediately
rejected with contempt by the Indian, who was
always jealous of his liberty. He was compelled
to keep up his reputation and enforce his authority
by a prudent, courteous and winning behavior.
He held his office by reason of merit and the
esteem in which he was held by the people, and
forfeited that distinction when this esteem was
lost. A respect for native superiority and a
willingness to yield to it were always conspicuous.
As he was not vested with the power to punish,
neither was it his prerogative to pardon. The
punishment of murder and other atrocious crimes
was relegated to the injured family.
It was the duty of the chief to entertain stran-
gers to visit the tribe on business, also ambassadors
from other nations ; but if their number was too
great they were put into a separate house, and
their wants supplied at the public expense. That
he might be able to dispense this hospitality with-
out impoverishment, the men of his tribe furnished
him with game, and the women assisted his wife
in her plantations. When he designed visiting
another chief he sent him a piece of tobacco, with
this message : " Smoke of this tobacco and look
towards my dwelling, then thou shalt see me com-
ing towards thee on such a day."
The chief received no compensation for his ser-
vices. Honor and esteem were his chief rewards ;
shame and being despised his punishment. The
principal men were generally poorer than the
common people; for they affected to give away
and distribute all the presents and plunder they
got by treaty or in war. Thus while the system
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
held out ample incentives to valorous achievement,
there was nothing to tempt the covetous and
sordid.*
" A captain," says Loskiel, from whose interest-
irfg account these facts are mostly derived, " is the
chief's right hand. He must undertake everything
committed to him by the chief, even at the hazard
of his Ufe, for his duty as captain requires this of
him. But if he is either wounded or killed by the
enemy, the whole nation joins in revenging his
death." The office of captain is neither elective
nor hereditary, but is bestowed as a recognition of
ability in war.
"The principal duty of the first chief of the
Delawares," says the same author, "is to maintain
the peace and covenants made between them and
the rest of the Indian nations and Europeans. He
therefore carries on a kind of correspondence with
them, with a view to be always acquainted with
their disposition towards his people. He also
sends embassies, but generally with the advice and
consent of the two other chiefs. If the Europeans
or Indians send a disagreeable message, the chiefs ■
answer has always a double meaning. It would
be deemed very rude to inquire an explanation,
and against the law of the State to give one." For
small mistakes he was admonished by his people ;
but for any misdemeanor jeopardizing the com-
monwealth he was reprimanded by the two other
chiefs, and for continued delinquency he was for-
saken and his power at an end.
" The governments of the aborigines," says Ban-
croft, " scarcely differed from each other," except
as accident gave a predominance to one or the
other of the elements entering into them. " Each
village governed itself as if independent, and each
after the same analogies, without variety. If the.
observer had regard to the sachems, (whom Los-
kiel calls chiefs,) the government seemed mon-
archial, but, as of measures that concerned all
they could not conclude aught unto which the
people were averse and every man of due age was
admitted to council, it might also be described as
a democracy. In council, the people were guided
by the eloquent, carried away by the brave ; and
this influence, which was recognized and regular in
its action, appeared to constitute an oligarchy.f
Such substantially was the organization and gov-
ernment of the Mahican and other branches of the
Delaware nation, neither of whom had a written
con^itution. The Mahicans had a chief sachem,
*CalderCs Five Indian Nations. O'Callaglian's New Netherland-,
I,Sb.
t History of the United States^ //., 428.
who was chosen by the nation, with the title to
the office hereditary in the lineage of his wife.
He remained at all times with, and consulted the
welfare of his tribe, and concluded all of the
treaties in their behalf. He had charge of the
mnoti, or peace bag, which contained the strings
and belts of wampum, which were the tokens of
amity between his and other tribes and nations.
He was assisted by counselors called chiefs, and
by three others, who were respectively denominated
hero, owl, and runner. Both the hero and owl
were offices of merit ; the former was bestowed on
those only distinguished by prowess and prudence
in war ; and the recipient of the latter must be a
good speaker, with a retentive memory. The
heroes were charged with the execution of war
when that was decided on in council ; the owl sat
beside his sachem and with a foud voice proclaimed
his orders to the people; he also rose at day-light,
aroused the people, and summoned them to their
daily duties. The office of the runner was to carry
messages and convene councils.*
The chief or sachem could not declare war with-
out the consent of the captains, and when war was
determined on the care of the tribe or nation passed
for the time being from the former to the latter,
who relinquished it to the civil authorities again
when peace was proposed. The Delawares, Uke
the Iroquois, but uhUke some other nations, did
not declare war by a formal message ; but sent out
a small party, who killed and scalped the first man
they met belonging to the nation they intended to
engage, then cleaved the scull with a hatchet,
which was left in it, or laid a war-club, painted red,
upon the body of the victim.
But little preparation for war was needed. The
primitive ofi'ensive weapons were bows, arrows and
clubs. The latter were made of the hardest wood,
not quite the length of a man's arm, and very
heavy, with a large round knob at one end. Their
weapon of defense was a shield made of the tough
hide of a buffalo, on the concave side of which they
received the arrows and darts of the enemy. These,
however, were laid entirely aside by the Delawares
and Iroquois, even while the bow, arrows and club
were in vogue ; and fire-arms were substituted for
the latter weapons on the advent of the Europeans.
But previous to the substitution of guns they sup-
plemented the knobs of their clubs with nails and
pieces of iron. To the arrows of the Indians who
greeted Hudson in 1609, points, consisting of sharp
stones, were fastened with pitch. Their sole pro-
* Stockiridge, Past and Presimt.
METHODS WHILE ENGAGED IN WARFARE— TORTURES— TOTEMS.
19
vision on such occasions consisted of pounded corn
and maple sugar. The night previous to their de-
parture was spent in aUmentary debauchery and
dancing. A feast of dog's flesh was always provided
on such occasions.* They were always followed
to their first night's encampment, (which was usu-
ally but two or three miles from the village,) by
the women, who took with them their old clothes
and brought back the finery in which they marched
from the castle.
They often made long and tedious marches to
the lands of their enemies ; and as their provisions
soon gave out, it became necessary to spend some
days in hunting. They dispersed through the
woods for that purpose; but returned to the place
of rendezvous exactly at the time appointed. No
one had precedence during the march, not even
the captain. Their provisions were divided in
equal shares, however small the portion allotted to
each. The Indian warriors possessed astonishing
patience and perseverance, encountered incredible
dangers, and lived upon the most scanty fare ; for
as soon as they entered the enemy's country they
could hunt no longer, and though they had always
sufficient provisions for some days, being frequently
under the necessity of hiding for several weeks in
the woods before venturing an attack, they suf-
fered incredibly from hunger and other inconven-
iences. The utmost care was exercised to prevent
premature discovery and elude pursuit. They al-
ways recorded these exploits by the aid of mne-
monic symbols, rudely sketched on the smooth side
of a piece of bark, peeled for that purpose from a
tree — usually an oak, as being most durable.
The horrible, cruel and remorseless tortures with
which they, in common with other Indians, per-
secuted their prisoners, forms one of the blackest
pages in their history ; while ,the heroism and forti-
tude with which they endured these tortures is the
marvel of civiUzation. Even women were not
exempt from them ; for both men and women were
inexorably subjected to the most revolting and
ignominious tortures, even to burning alive, though
the latter less frequently than the former. Not all
their captives, however, were subjected to torture;
for many were adopted into the families of those
who had lost friends and relatives in the war. Ter-
rible as were these tortures, they are not without a
parallel in the history of civilized nations; and
there is the added virtue that they were measura-
bly free from that vindictiveness which was the in-
spiring genius of the latter. With them it was a
• Colden's Five Indian Nations,
matter of education ; for, says DeWitt Clinton, "to
produce death by the most protracted" suffering
was sanctioned among them by general immemo-
rial usage." Bancroft significantly says : "We call
them cruel ; yet they never invented the thumb-
screw, or the boot, or the rack, or broke on the
wheel, or exiled bands of their nations for opinion's
sake ; and never protected the monopoly of a medi-
cine man by the gallows, or the block, or by fire,"*
As each tribe had its sachem and chief or cap-
tain, so also each had its specific device or totem,
denoting original consanguinity. The totems of the
Mahicans were the Bear, the Wolf and the Turtle.
The former, which, says Ruttenber, " appear to
have been inoccupation in the vicinity of Albany,"!
was according to Mahican tradition, " considered
the leading totem and entitled to the office of chief
sachem." These totems were universally respected,
and were often tatooed on the person of the In-
dian and even rudely painted on the gable-end of
his cabin, some in black, others in red. They en-
titled the wandering savage to the hospitality of
the wigwam which bore the emblem corresponding
with his own. These devices consisted of ani-
mals, birds, etc. They had various uses, but the
most important was that which denoted tribal
relation.
CHAPTER III.
Aborigines of Duchess County — Divisions
OF THE Mahicans — Their Territorial Pos-
sessions— The Wappingers — Supposed Iden-
tity with the Sanhikans and Sankikani —
Conflicting Statements Respecting their
Location — Deposition of David Nimham
Regarding it — Chieftaincies of the Wap-
pingers— The Head Chieftaincy Located in
Duchess County — Villages of the Wappin-
gers — Dans-Kammer Point — Traditional
Indian Villages.
THE territory embraced within the present
limits of Duchess County was the home
at different periods of the Mahicans, who have
been styled the first inhabitants of Hudson River,t
the Wappingers, who originally lived west of the
Hudson, and subsequently joined the Mahicans,
and a remnant of the Pequots, the earliest victims
* History of the Untied States, II, 447.
t Indian Tribes of HudsofUs River, 50, (note.)
t Col. Hist. IV., 901.
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
to the Europeans, who were nearly exterminated
May 26, 1 637, and the remnant subsequently driven
from their homes in Connecticut. The latter dwelt
in the present town of Dover, and are still repre-
sented by their descendants in the valley of the
Housatonic, to which they subsequently removed.
Their sachem was Gideon Mauwee, whose grand-
daughter, Aunt Eunice Mauwee, died in i860, at
the age of 103 years.
The Mahicans were a confederacy,* although the
several nations composing it have never been desig-
nated, says Ruttenber, who adds that certain gen-
eral divisions appear under the titles of the Mahi-
cans, Soquatucks, Horicons, Pennacooks, Nipmucks,
Abenaquis, Nawaas, Sequins, and Wappingers.
The former, the representative nation of the con-
federacy on the Hudson, appears, he says, to have
taken original position there, and to have sent out
snbduing colonies to the south and east, originat-
ing other national combinations. Their ancient
council fire was kindled at Schodack, opposite the
city of Albany, the country in the vicinity of which
they occupied. The Soquatucks occupied the
country east of the Green Mountains; the Hor-
icons, the Lake George district ; the Pennacooks,t
the territory " from Haverhill to the sources of the
Connecticut ; the Nipmucks, the country " about
Worcester, Oxford, Grafton, Dudley, &c., in Mas-
sachusetts j"t the Abenaquis, "the inland country
on the upper part of the Kennebec River, in
Maine ;"§ the Nawaas and Sequins, the country
bordering the Connecticiit, the latter immediately
south of the former ; and the Wappingers, the coun-
try east of the Hudson and immediately south of
the Mahicans, extending from Roelaff Jansen's Kill,
or Livingston Creek, to the sea. The first of these
general divisions was again divided into at least
five parts, as known to the authorities of New York
viz : the Mahicans, occupying the country in the
vicinity of Albany ; the Wiekagjocks, described by
Wassenar as "next below the Maikens ;" the
Mechkentowoons, lying above Catskill and on
Beeren or Mahican Island; the Wawyachton-
* Bancroft says, "the country between the banks of the Connecticut and
the Hudson was possessed by independent villages of the Mohegans, kin-
. dred with the Manhattans, whose few 'smokes' once rose amidst the
forests on New York Island. "—History of the United States, II., 396.
t " The Pennacooks," says O'Callaghan, (Col. Hisi.N. Y, III., 482,)
*' were a New Hampshire tribe, and inhabited Concord and the Merrimac
country above and below that town." A full account of them will be found
in Moore's Annals of Concord, 73 ; and in Collections of New Hamp-
shire Historical Society, I, Z18."
} Hol^es^ Annals, /., 413.
%Col. Hist. N. Y., III., 48z, note, which also says: "They were
called Onagonques by the Dutch, Owenagungas by the English, and
Abenakis by the French."
ocks,* who apparently resided in the western
parts of Duchess and Columbia counties ; and
the Westenhucks, subsequently known as the
Stockbridges, who held the capital of the confed-
eracy, and occupied the village of Kaunaumeek,
where the missionary Brainerd labored, and which
he describes as "near twenty miles from Stock-
bridge and near about twenty miles distant from
Albany eastward ; " Potatik, located by the Mora-
vians on the Housatonic " seventy miles inland ;''
and Westenhuck or Wuahktakook, the capital of
the confederacy, located on Sauthier's map, among
the hills south of Stockbridge. The villages of the
Wawyachtonocks, says Ruttenber, are without
designation, but it is probable that Shekomeko,
about two miles south of the village of Pine Plains,
and once the seat of a flourishing Moravian mis-
sion, was classed as one of them, as well as Wech-
quadnach, also the seat of a Moravian mission,
described as " twenty-eight miles below Stock-
bridge." He adds, " that their villages and chief-
tancies were even more numerous than those of
the Montauks and Wappingers" there is every
reason to suppose, but causes the very opposite of
those which led to the preservation of the location
of the latter, permitted the former to go down with
so many unrecorded facts relating to the tribe,"!
The Wappingers, or Wappingis, were, Uke the .
Mahicans, with whom they united, a branch of
the Delawares, and are supposed by Messrs. Yates
and Moulton % to be identical with the Sanhikans,
whom De Laet describes as residing on the west
side of the Hudson, " within the Sandy Hook," §
and with the Sankikani, who, when the Dutch
arrived at New Netherlands another Dutch author, "
Joost Hartger, who wrote in 165 1, twenty-six years
after De Laet, describes as residing " on New York
Bay, on the Jersey shore, opposite Manhattan's
Island, and thence some distance up the river,
lining the shore." Both authors say they were
deadly enemies of the Manhattans, occupying the
island to which it is supposed they gave their
* "This name," says Ruttenber, "is local," and is applied, in a peti-
tion by William Caldwell and others in 1702, to a " tract of unappropriated
lands in ye hands of ye Indians, lying in Duchess County to ye westward
of Westenholk's creek, and to ye eastward of Foughkeepsie, called by ye
Indians by ye name of Wayaughtanock." — Indian Tribes of Hudson^ s
River, 8s, note.
^Indian Tribes of HudsoiCs River, 41. 85-86. A tract of laud
called Westenhook was patented to Robert Livingston, Jr., and others
in 1735, and that as well as Livingston Manor, patented in 1686, became
the subject of controversy between this State and Massachuset ts. — StmiKs
History of New York, 283-288.
X History oftht State of New York, 221. They strengthen this sup-
position by quoting Gov. Clinton.
%Nieuwe Wereldt, Book 3, Chaf. 9.
TERRITORIAL LOCATION OF THE WAPPINGERS.
21
name,* and were, says Hartger, a much less
ferocious and sanguinary people. De Laet testifies
that they were a better people than the Manhattans,
who, he says, were a wicked nation having " always
conducted towards the Dutch in a cruel and inimi-
cal manner." O'Callaghan says the Dutch dis-
tinguished the Delawares by the name of Sankhi-
cans.f
The Rev. John Heckewelder,t who says the
Sankhicanni derive their name from Sankhican,
who sigmiiss fire-works, adds, they and the Wabinga
or Wapinga, sprung from the Delawares and Min-
sis, and, living opposite the Mahicanni, on the
Hudson, (the latter the most southerly, up the
Pachsdjeck — i.e. a valley, Passaic,) intermarried
with them, till at length their language betrayed
more of the Mahicanni, than- the Delaware. The
Wappingis, occupied the highlands on the west
side of the Hudson, from which they were known
by the Y>\A(Ai.z.%Hocklanders, (Highlanders.) The
Sankhicanni extended their settlements towards
the site of Albany. In course of time these two
tribes were under the necessity of leaving their
country, when they went over to the Mahicanni, with
the exception of a few famiUes, who again joined
the Delawares, but for fear of being again driven
from their settlements by the whites, went first to the
Susquehanna, and subsequently to the Ohio. The
Wappingis says Heckewelder derive their name
from the opossum, which in the language of the
Delawares, is called Waping. Wappingi signifies
" the opossummani." §
Mr. Charles ThompscJn, Secretary of the first
American Congress, locates the Wappingers be-
tween the west branch of the Delaware and the
Hudson, from the Kittatinny Ridge (Blue Mts.)
down to Raritan. || Prof. Ebeling observes that
the Esopus Indians, who proved so troublesome
* Heckewelder, in Ms. Comm. to Dr. Miller, says his inquiries in re-
spect to a nation or tribe of Indians called Mankattos or Nanathones
were fruitless. They were unknown at the middle of the eighteenth
century to both the Mahicans and Delawares. He was convinced that
the Delawares and Minsis occupied Manhattan or New York Island,
which the former then called Manahattani or Manahachtanink. The
Delaware word for island, he says, is Mznaiey ; the Minsi word, Man-
ttchtey. Early writers, however, are emphatic in naming this tribe, and
De Rasieres, who wrote in 1626, intimates that they were conquered '* by
the Wappenos."
t History of New Netherlands /., 48.
X Ms. Communication to Dr. Miller in 1801. now in possession of the
N. Y. Hist. Soc.
§ Wappingers, says Ruttenber, is a corruption of ivahun, east, and
ackif land, which, as applied by the Indians themselves, may be rendered
Eastlanders, or Men of the East. The French preserved the original
very nearly in Abenague, and Heckewelder in Wapanachki. The
Dutch historians are responsible for JVappingerSy perhaps from their
rendering of the sound of the original word, and perhaps as expressing
the fact that they were, in the Dutch language, wapertt or half-armed In-
. dians. — Indian Tribes o/HudsoTCs River, 170 — 371.
li Note 5, Appendix to Jefferson's Notes on Virginia.
to the early Dutch settlers, were supposed to be
Wappingers.* Ruttenber says : "Although it is so
stated on Van der Donck's map of New Nether-
land, and assumed by Gallatin as a fact, there is
no evidence that the Wappingers extended west of
the Hudson, but, on the contrary, the conclusion is
certain that they did not. The record of the Esopus
wars and the sales of lands show what and who the
latter were. The error of Van der Donck's in-
formants was in confusing totemic emblems, and
similarity of dialect, with tribal jurisdiction." f
Whatever may be the fact with reference to the
Wappingers having once possessed lands west of
the Hudson, it is certain that their later settle-
ments were on the east side of that river, as is
shown by the following deposition of David Nim-
ham, whose father, Daniel Nimham, was made
chief sachem of the Wappingers in 1740, and dis-
tinguished himself not less by his persistent efforts
to recover lands in Putnam county, of which his tribe
were defrauded, than by his tragic death at the battle
of Cortland Ridge, in Westchester county, where he
and some forty of his followers, including his son,
were killed or wounded August 31, 1778, by the
British, against whom they had espoused the cause
of the Colonists. I The deposition reads as fol-
lows : —
" David Nimham, aged thirty-six years, being
duly sworn, maketh oath, that he is a River Indian
of the tribe of the Wappingers, which tribe were
the ancient inhabitants of the east shore of Hud-
son's River, from the city of New York to about
the middle of Beekman's Patent ; that another of
River Indians, called Mahiccondas, were the an-
cient inhabitants of the remaining east shore of the
said river; that these two tribes constituted one
nation. That the deponent well understands the
language of the Mahiccondas. It is very Uttle
different from the language of the Wappings tribe.
That the Indian word Pattenock signifies in the
language of the Mahiccondas, a fall of water, and
has no other signification. And this deponent
says that he is a Christian, and has resided some
years with the Mahiccondas at Stockbridge.
his
"DAVID X NIMHAM.
mark.
" Sworn the second day of August, 1762, before
me. WILLIAM SMITH."
The chieftaincies of the Wappingers, say Rut-
tenber,§ were the Reckgawawancs^ who occupied
Manhattan Island and a portion of the mainland,
with their principal village,|| says Bolton, at the
* Yates and Moiilion' s History of the State of New York^ 221,
t Indian Tribes of Hudson River-, 84.
X Sintcoe^s Military Jo^irtial.
% Indian 'rrihes 0/ Htidson's River^ 77-84.
II History of Westchester County.
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
mouth of Neperah (Neperhan *) or Saw Mill
Creek, where the village of Yonkers now stands,
and at whose strong stockade fort, which stood on
Berrien's Neck, on the north bank of the Spuyten
Duyvel commanding the romantic scenery of that
creek and the Mahicannituck, Hudson first dropped
anchor on his ascending voyage, and was attacked
by the Indians on his return ; the Weckquaesgeeks,
who, as early as 1644, had three entrenched
castles,t one of which remained as late 1663, and
was then garrisoned by eighty warriors. Their
principal village, named Weckquaskeck, was on the
site of Dobb's Ferry, and its outlines, it is said,
can still be traced by numerous shell beds ; a
second one called Alip Conck, occupied the site
of the village of Tarrytown. Their territory seems
to have extended from Norwalk on the Sound, to
the Hudson, and to have embraced considerable
portions of the towns of Mount Pleasant, Greenburgh
White Plains and Rye, or, according to O'Calla-
ghan, J from the North to the East River, " on the
banks of two smaller streams, called the Sintsinck,
and the Armonck, a few miles north of the fierce
Manhattd^ or Manhattans,- a ' cruel nation,' who
held their council fires on an extensive island im-
mediately south, which, retaining their name, was
afterwards called Manhattans ;" the Sint-Sinks,
who, apparently, were not numerous, but had two
villages, one Ossing-Sing, on the site of the present
village of Sing Sing, the other, Kestaubuinck, located
between Sing Sing Creek and Croton River ; the
Kitchawongs or Kickfawancs, whose territory ap-
pears to have extended from Croton River to An-
thony's Nose, embracing a principal village named
Kitchawonck, located at the mouth of the river
bearing their name ; another named Sackhoes, on
the site of the village of Peekskill, and a fort,
which stood at the mouth of Croton River, and is
represented as one of the most formidable and an-
cient Indian fortresses south of the Highlands;
the Tankitekes, whom Brodhead locates at Haver-
straw, O'Callaghan on the east side of Tappan
Bay, and Bolton, in the eastern part of Westchest-
er, (the latter of which, from the deeds given by
them, Ruttenber affirms is correct,) and who, says
the latter, occupy " a prominent ' place in the
Dutch history through the action of Pecham, ' a
crafty man,' who not only performed discreditable
service for Director Kieft, but was also very largely
instrumental in bringing on the war of 1645 ;" the
Nochpeems, who occupied the highlands north of
*F7encKs Map of the State of New York,
1 younial of New Netherland, Doc. Hist., IV.,-IS.
X History of New Netherland, I., 47.
Anthony's Nose, (where Wassenar locates the
Pachany, and Brodhead the Fachimis, whom — the
Pachamis — O'Callaghan locates on the east side of
Tappan Bay,) and to whom Van der Douck
assigns three villages on t\itYi\xA%ox^—Keskistkonck,
Pasquasheck and Nochpeem — but whose principal
village, says Ruttenber, situated in what is now
known as Canopus Hollow, in the town of Putnam
Valley, appears to have been called Canopus, from
the name of their sachem; the Siwanoys, also
known as "one of the seven tribes of the sea
coast," who were one of the largest of the Wap-
pinger subdivisions, and occupied the northern
shore of the sound, " from Norwalk twenty-four
miles to the neighborhood of Hell-gate;" the
Sequins, who took their name from one of their
chiefs, who occupied a larg^ extent of country,
with their principal seat on the west bank of the
Connecticut, and had jurisdiction over all the
south-western Connecticut clans; and the Wap-
ptngers, the acknowledged head of the chieftaincies
of the tribal organization of that name, whose ter-
ritory covered the major portion of Duchess
County. The location of their principal village is
not known, but presumably on the creek which
perpetuates their name, on the south side of which
— the Mawenawasigh, its beautiful Indian name —
Van derDonck's map locates three of their villages.
Others of their villages were located in the town of
Fishkill, and at Fishkill Hook. " Until quite recent-
ly, there were traces of their burial grounds, and
many apple and pear trees are still left standing."*
Here, on a farm of three hundred acres, adjoining
Putnam County, which was claimed as a reserva-
tion, the Indians lingered long after the sale of
their lands in that locality; and even after their
removal to the West, a few came occasionally to
renew their claims, remaining a few weeks to hunt
and fish, while plying the vocation of mendicants.
North of Wappinger's Creek they appear to have
been known as the Indians of the Long Reach,
and on the south as the Highland Indians. Of
their possessions on the Hudson there is but one
perfect transfer title on record, that being for the
lands which were included in the Rombout Patent,
of which further mention will be made in a subse-
quent chapter.
Messrs. Yates and Moulton, after referring to the
former residence of the tribe on the west side of
the Hudson, say, at a later period, they "occupied
that part of the east side of the Hudson, near a
* Historical Sketch of the Town qf Fishkill, by T. Van Wyck Brink-
erhoff, S'-S2i
RIVALRY BETWEEN THE DELAWARES AND IROQUOIS.
23
hill called Anthony's Nose, in the Highlands which
embraced what was called Phillips's upper patent
in Duchess County, including PoUipel's Island.
Although formerly numerous, they had in 1767
dwindled to 227 persons. Their occupation was
principally planting and hunting. The Highlands
afforded fine hunting ground, and the surrounding
soil was excellent for planting. * « * jt ^^^s
their fate, though a similar fate with others, to be
compelled to abandon their once pleasant Wickapy,
(which was the name of the lands where the tribe
chiefly resided,) and to seek refuge in remote, and
to them, strange places.* Dunlap, in his History
of New York, speaks of them as occupying the
Highlands, called by them Kittatinny Mountains,
and says, their principal settlement, designated
Wicapee, was situated in the vicinity of Anthony's
Nose. Brodhead says : " It would seem that the
neighboring Indians esteemed the peltries of the
Fishkillf as charmed by the incantations of the
aboriginal enchanters who lived along its banks,
and the beautiful scenery in which those ancient
Priests of the Highlands dwelt is thus invested with
new poetic associations."
Tradition locates other villages in various parts
of the county ; but it is mostly vague and unsat-
isfactory, though there is little doubt that many
more than those indicated existed within the Hmits
of the county. Wassenar locates the Pachany,
Warenecker and Warrawannankoruks at Fisher's
Hook,J a projection into the river formed by the
confluence of the Fishkill in the town of that name.
DeLaet agrees substantially with him in the location
of the former, whom he calls the Pachami ; but
.the latter two, named by him Waoranecks and
Warranawankongs, he locates on the west side, on
the Dans-Kammer point,§ in which he is unques-
tionably more nearly correct. Van derDonck locates
the Waoranecks on the south side of Wappingers
Creek, while above them, on both sides of the river,
he places the Wappingers. The Minnisinks, a
* clan of the Minsis, are said to have lived in vari-
ous parts of the county, probably not as a clan,
however; while the Sepascots are credited to
Rhinebeck, and the Shenandoahs to Red Hook.
* History of the State of New York., lii.
t The Indian name of this stream was Matteawan, by which it is still
sometimes called. The word has been said to signify ^ good fiirs,'''' and
Moulton has endeavored to associate it with the incantations of Indian
priests, but, says Ruttenber, on no positive authority.
XDoc. His. Ill, iS,
§Thisname, which means " dance-chamber, " was given toapointof
land, six miles north of Newburgh, where the aborigines were accus-
tomed to dance the Kuite-Kaye, a species of devil-worship, on the eve
of engaging in expeditions of war or hunting, and when, as prisoners,
they were about to suffer torture.— />«?. His. TV, 6j.
CHAPTER IV.
Contemporaneous Emigration of Delawares
AND Iroquois from the West — The Iroquois
Become Jealous of the Delawares and
Clandestinely Seek their Humiliation —
Wars Between the Delawares and Iroquois
— The Iroquois Make Women of the Dela-
wares— The Significance of this Act — Dif-
fering Views Respecting the Subjugation of
THE Delawares by the Iroquois — The Dela-
wares Resent the Perfidy of the Iroquois
— Wars Between the Iroquois and Mahi-
CANs — The Mahicans Unsubdued — Their
Subjugation Asserted by Various Histori-
ans— Their Statements Refuted by Docu-
mentary Troof — Traditional Reverses of
the Mahicans — Their Losses and Dispersion
— War of 1755 — Relation of the Delawares
AND Mahicans to It — The Delawares in
the Revolutionary War.
IN a preceding chapter we have shown that the
Iroquois and Delawares, according to tradi-
tion, emigrated at the same time from the west-
ward ; and, having defeated and dispersed the Al-
ligewi, who disputed with them the passage of the
Mississippi, that they divided and occupied the
conquered territory. The Iroquois, increasing in
numbers, extended their settlements below the
lakes along the St. Lawrence, from which, tradi-
tion asserts, they were driven by the Adirondacks,
to the interior parts of New York.* The Dela-
wares had also moved farther eastward, and, with
their kindred tribes, occupied the valleys of the
Delaware, Susquehanna and Hudson.
In these relative positions they resided peace-
ably for many years. At length the Iroquois be-
came jealous and distrustful of their southern
neighbors, who were rapidly increasing in numbers,
and sought to lessen their growing power by em-
broiling them and other tribes, especially the Chero-
kees, who then lived on the banks of the Ohio and
its branches, and between whom and the Dela-
wares a most bloody war was waged, as the result
of this Iroquois perfidy, until the treachery of the
latter was discovered. The Delawares determined
to revenge themselves by the extirpation of that
deceitful race ;t and-so successful were they in the
violent wars which ensued between them and the
Iroquois,J that the latter, who at a later period,
* Smithes History of New York, 77.
\ Heckewelder' s Historical Account of the Indian Nations, 37,
X LoskieVs History of the Mission of the United Brethren among the
Indians in North America, Part I, Chap. X,p. IZ4. Heckewelder, 38.
24
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
had also become involved with the French colon-
ists in Canada, were constrained to resort to a
stratagem to terminate them, being convinced that
if they continued, " their total extirpation would be
inevitable."* Heckewelder even attributes to the
severity of these wars that great Amphyctonic
league — the Iroquois confederacy — which, he says,
on the authority of Pyrlseus, a missionary among
the Mohawks, was formed " sometime between the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries'' ; and adds that
the different tribes of the Iroquois had hitherto
acted independently.f
The plan of the Iroquois was to allay the enmity
of the Delawares, their "most formidable oppo-
nents,"t by urging them to assume the office of
women, and act as mediators and ujppires among
their warlike neighbors, so that they might devote
their entire energies to their northern enemies, the
French ; for the wars between these savage nations
were never terminated, except through the ihter-
position of the women, whose prerogative it was
to demand a cessation of hostilities. The men,
however tired of fighting, maintained a determined
hostile attitude; for they considered it an evidence
of cowardice to intimate a desire for peace, and
unbecoming for a warrior with a bloody weapon in
his hand to address pacific language to his enemy. §
They therefore sent the following message || to the
Delawares : — ■
" It is not profitable that all nations should be
at war with each other, for this will at length be
the ruin of the whole Indian race. We have there-
fore considered of a remedy, by which this evil
may be prevented. One nation shall be the
woman. We will place her in the midst, and the
other nations who make war shall be the man,
and live around the woman, no one shall touch
or hurt the woman, and if any one does it, we
will immediately say to him, ' Why do you beat the
woman ? ' Then all the men shall fall upon him
who has beaten her. The woman shall not go to
war, but endeavor to keep peace with all. There-
fore if the men that surround her beat each
other, and the war be carried on with violence,
the woman shall have the right of addressing them,
' Ye men, what are ye about, why do ye beat each
other? We are almost afraid. Consider that
your wives and children must perish, unless ye
desist. Do ye mean to destroy yourselves from
the face of the earth ? ' The men shall then hear
and obey the woman."
To appeal to the magnanimity of the Dela-
wares and entreat them to accept such an office was
*Laskiel, Part /, Chaf. X f. IZ4. -
^ He9hewelder, 37-38.
X MarryaVs Diary in America, 261.
§ Heckewelder, 39.
liLoskiel. Part I; Cha^. X, 144-125.
to pay a high tribute to their character for probity
and valor ; for it would have been folly for a weak
or vacillating nation to have undertaken such a
task. It implied that, since "as men they had
been dreaded ; as women they would be respected
and honored." Unhappily for them they yielded
to the flattering proposition, not suspecting the
meditated treachery of the Iroquois, who desired
as well to deprive them of their power and mili-
tary fame, "which had exalted them above all the
other Indian nations." * They believed their
object to be the preservation of the Indian race.
The Iroquois, rejoiced at the assent of the un-
wary Delawares, appointed a great feast, and
solemnly inducted the latter into their new and
novel office of women. Addressing the Delawares,
they said : " We dress you in a woman's long
habit, reaching down to your feet, and adorn you
with ear-rings," meaning, that they should no more
take up arms ; " We hang a calabash filled with
oil and medicines upon your arm. With the oil
you shall cleanse the ears of the other nations, that
they may attend to good, and not to bad words ;
and with the medicine you shall heal those who are
walking in foolish ways, that they may return to
their senses, and incline their hearts to peace ; we
deUver into your hands a plant of Indian corn and
an hoe," by which they were exhorted to make
agriculture their future employment and means of
subsistence. "Ever since this singular treaty of
peace," adds Loskiel, " the Iroquois have called
the Delawares their cousins"\ Elsewhere they are
called children of the Five Nations; J while they
themselves call the Six Nations their uncles,§ a
term which they also apply to the Senecas. || The
Mahicans, the Iroquois called their nephews.
This treaty, which also comprised in its provis-
ions the Mahicans and other conneetions of the
Delawares, is supposed, from the traditions of the
Delawg,res, Mahicans and Iroquois, to have been
consummated at a place since called Norman's
Kill, a few miles from the site of the city of 1
Albany, "between the years 1609 and i62o,"1[
and was participated in by the Dutch, who united
their influence with that of the Iroquois to induce
the Delawares, Mahicans and their connections to
bury the hatchet, and declared that they " would
fall on those who should dig it up again." The
Dutch also declared their intetition to "forthwith
* Heckewelder, 39, 41.
'i Loskiel, Part /., Chap. X., 115^126.
XCcl.Hisi. VI.,<)%%.
% Col. Hist. VJI., 104.
II Col. Hist. VII., lia.
\ Heckewelder, 12.
THE IROQUOIS MAKE "WOMEN" OF THE DELAWARES.
25
erect a church over the weapon of war, so that it
could no more be exhumed without overturning
the sacred edifice, and whoever dared do that
should incur the resentment of the white men."*
The date of this treaty is definitely fixed in the
copy of a proposition made by the River Indians
to Lt. Gov. Nanfan, at Albany, July 18, 1701, in
which it is explicitly stated that " Itt is now ninety
years agoe since the Christians came first here,
when there was a covenant chain made between
them and the Mahikanders, the first inhabitants of
this River" — the Hudson. It is further stated;
"Wee have been soe happy never to have
had the least flaw or crack in the chain
* * * wherein the Maquase [Mohawks] and
wee are hnked." f From this it appears that
the date was 16 ii. "By this treaty," says Moul-
ton, "the Dutch secured for themselves the quiet
possession of the Indian trade, and the Five
Nations obtained the means to assert that ascend-
ency which they ever after maintained over the
other native tribes, and to inspire terror far and near
among the other savages of North America."
Whatever may be the credence to which these
traditions are entitled, certain it is that the relative
positions of the Delawares and Iroquois, as to
their military status, was reversed,! and the former
were subsequently looked to for the preservation
of peace, '' and entrusted with the charge of the
great belt of peace and chain of friendship."§
The Iroquois asserted, and sought sedulously to
impress upon the mind of others, that the Dela-
wares and their kindred tribes were fairly con-
quered by them, and compelled by force to submit
to the humiUation of being made women to avoid
utter ruin.ll Authors have very generally assumed
this to be the fact ; but a few, notably Heckewelder
and Ruttenber,- have earnestly striven to refute what
they beUeve, and justly, to be an error. " It is a
singular fact, too," says the latter, " that of all the
nations subjugated by the Iroquois, the Lenape
alone bore the name of women. While the council-
fires of other nations were 'put out,' and their
survivors merged in the confederacy, that of the
Lenape was kept burning, and their civil govern-
ment remained undisturbed."!! Says Heckewelder,
"Neither Mr. Pyrlaeus nor Mr. Zeisberger, who
both lived among the Five Nations, and spoke and
understood their language well, could obtain from
* Annals 0/ Albany, 1.1 M^ Heckewelder, 43,
+ Col Hist. /K, 901, 90J.
t jfmmal 0/ New Netherland, Doc. Hist. IV., 8.
§ Loskiel, Part I., Chaf. X., p. Ii6.
1 Loskiel, Part /., Chap. X., p. 146-117.
\ Indian Triies 0/ Hudson' s River, 66.
them any details relative to this supposed con-
quest;" and, he adds, "If this were true, the
Lenape and their allies, who, like all other Indian
nations, never considered a treaty binding when
entered into under any kind of compulsion, would
not have submitted to this any longer than until
they could again have raUied their forces and fallen
upon their enemy; they would have done long be-
fore the year 1755, what they did at last at that
time, joined the French in their wars against the
Iroquois and English, and would not have patiently
waited more than a century before they took their
revenge for so flagrant an outrage."*
The Delawares discovered and resented the base
treachery of the Iroquois. They " determined to
unite their forces and by one great eflfort to destroy
entirely that perfidious nation," which, they said,
they might easily have done, "as they were then as
numerous as the grasshoppers at particular seasons,
and as destructive to their enemies as these insects
are to the fruits of the earth ;" while they described
the Iroquois " as a number of croaking frogs in a
pond, which make a great noise when all is quiet,
but at the first approach of danger, nay, at the very
rustling of a leaf, immediately plunge into the
water and are silent." But the rapid increase and
encroachments of the white settlers " engaged all
the capacity of their minds," and diverted their
attention from this purpose, f
The force of Iroquois opposition, it would appear,
weighed most heavily against the New England and
River Indians, the former of whom, and certain of
the latter, especially the Minsis, were brought under
tributary subjection to them. Fierce and san-
guinary conflicts prevailed between the Iroquois,
especially the Mohawks, and the Mahicans, who
were their "most formidable competitors," and
were not terminated when the English superseded
the Dutch, nor until the close of the war which
terminated in 1673, when the English, who were in
alliance with both, effected a permanent settlement.
Being "equal in courage, equal in numbers, equal
in the advantages of obtaining fire-arms from the
Dutch, and in their subsequent alliance with the
EngUsh, they marched unsubdued by the boasted
conquerors of America."!
Judge William Smith, an early historian, says :
"When the Dutch began the settlement of this
country, all the Indians on Long Island, and the
northern shore of the sound, on the banks of Con-
necticut, Hudson's, Delaware and Susquehanna
* Heckewelder^ 44-45-
t Heckewelder, 48.
X Indian Tribes of Hudsof^s River, 56.
26
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
rivers, were in subjection to the Five Nations; and
within the memory of persons now living, acknowl-
edged it by the payment of an annual tribute."
Colden, speaking of the Mohawks, says : "All the
nations round them have, for many years, entirely
submitted to them, and pay a yearly tribute to
them in wampum ;" though elsewhere the latter
inconsistently admits that the contest between the
Mohawks and Mahicans was not at an end till
1673,* when it was effected through the mediation
of the English, but without the subjugation of the
Mahicans. O'Callaghan reiterates the statement of
Colden.f Bancroft says: "Like the benevolent
William Penn, .the Delawares were pledged to a
system of peace ; but, while Penn forbore retaUa-
tion voluntarily, the passiveness of the Delawares
was the degrading confession of their defeat and
submission to the Five Nations. Their conquer-
ors had stripped them of their rights as warriors,
and compelled thetn to endure taunts as women.''^
But these statements would seem to be too broad
and indefinite, and certainly incorrect with respect
to the Mahicans, or Manhingans, who, the Hela-
tions of the Jesuit missionaries' show, were at war
with the Mohawks in 1656, who experienced a
severe check in an attack upon a fortified Mahican
village in 1663. In 1664, the Mahicans were al-
lied with four other Indian nations, including the
Wappingers, in an attack upon the Mohawks, § who
were so weakened and their pride humbled, that,
in 1699, they sent an embassy to Quebec to solicit
the French to protect them against the Mahicans.
In this the Mohawks were successful to the extent
of securing the co-operation of the Jesuit mission-
aries in resisting an attack made by three hundred
Mahicans on the fortified village of Cahnawaga, on
the 1 8th of August, 1669. The Mahicans were
repulsed and retired after two hours of fighting, but
were intercepted by the Mohawks, who descended
the river in canoes and formed in ambush between
the village of Cahnawaga and Schenectady. The
Mohawks, though at first successful in the conflict
which ensued, were eventually put to flight.|| They
then called to their aid the Oneidas, Onondagas
and Cayugas, and with four hundred warriors set
out to surprise a Mahican fort near Manhattan.
But in this enterprise they were equally unsuccess-
ful. In April, 1670, Governo; Lovelace visited
Albany, charged, among other things, with the
* Colden^s Six Nations^ 11.^ 35.
i History 0/ the New Netherlands /., 47.
tffStaryo/the United States, II.., 396.
§ Doc. Hist. IV., 8j-8s. History of New Neiherland IJ, 519.
I Co/. Hist. Ill, ISO. Drake's Biography and History 0/ the In-
dians of North America.
duty of making peace between the Mohawks and
Mahicans, but not until August of the succeeding
year were the negotiations consummated, and, ac-
cording to Colden, not until 1673.* Subsequent
to this event the Mahicans were uniformly em-
ployed as auxiliaries of the Iroquois and English
in their wars with the French.
At an earlier period it will appear that the Ma-
hicans were less successful in their encounters with
the Mohawks. Michaeluis says that in 1626, the
Mahicans fled before the Mohawks and left their
lands,t referring, doubtless, to a clan or chief-
taincy, which, as we have previously shown, occu-
pied a tract of country on the west side of the Hud-
son, in its upper course. Wassenar mentions a
similar reverse which occurred in 1628.J That
this exodus did not apply to the Mahicans as a
nation is proved by subsequent deeds. As evi-
dence of the sanguinary conflicts between these
two nations and the reverses sustained by the Ma-
hicans, tradition points to localities on Wanton
Island, near Catskill and in the town of Red Hook
in this county, " the bones of the slain at the lat-
ter place," says Ruttenber, " being, it is said, in
monumental record when the Dutch first settled
there."§
The Mahicans or River Indians were strength-
ened by the disasters which befel King Philip's
army in New England; for after the disastrous
battle of August 12, 1676, in which the great leader
lost his life, the shattered remnant of his army,
though pursued and attacked by the English near
the Housatonic, found refuge in the friendly vil-
lages of their kindred along the Hudson. But they
melted away in their subsequent wars as the faith- "
ful and efficient allies of the English, losing between
the years 1689, (when they numbered 250 warriors,)
and i6g8, not less than i6o.|| Others were seduced
from their allegiance by the Jesuit missionaries and
joined<»the "praying Indians" in Canada. At a
conference held with Lieut. Governor Nanfan, July
18, 1701, a Mahican speaker stated their number
to be 200 fighting men, belonging to the county of
Albany, which then embraced the entire country
west of the Connecticut and north of Roelaff Jan-
sen's Kill, on the east of the Hudson, and north
of the Catskill Mountains, on the west side.U
Many were carried off by that dread scourge, the
small-pox, while great numbers died in conse-
* Colden' s Six Nations, Chap. II, 34,
t Col. Hist., II, 371, 769.
t Doc. Hist., Ill, 48.
§ Indian Tribes 0/ Hudson's River, 57-58.
II Col. Hist. IV, 337.
IT Col. Hist. IV, 902.
THE DELAWARES IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
27
quence of the introduction of spirituous liquors
among them. The remainder removed in separate
bodies to different parts and mingled with other
nations. A considerable number migrated from
the Hudson River in 1734, and settled at Stock-
bridge, Massachusetts, where in October of that
year, Rev. John' Sergeant established among them
a mission, under the auspices of the society for the
propagation of the gospel in foreign parts.. Be-
tween 1785 and 1787, with diminished numbers,
they removed to the country of the Oneidas, a
nation of the Iroquois, and located in the town
which still perpetuates their name — Stockbridge —
in the present county of Madison, where they
were soon after gathered into a church under
the missionary labors of Rev. John Sergeant, who
followed them to New Stockbridge in 1796, and
continued to reside with them till his death, Sept.
7, 1824. They subsequently removed to lands
purchased, in company with the Iroquois, St. Regis
and Minsi Indians, on Green Bay, and the Winne-
bago and Fox Rivers in Wisconsin, where they
have made considerable advances in civilization
and are generally sober and industrious. Upwards
of one hundred of them, who lived in the colonies
of New York and Connecticut, having, through the
labors of the United Brethren, embraced Chris-
tianity, emigrated to Pennsylvania between 1742
and 1760, and there afterwards became incorporated
with the Delawares.
As early as 1762, a number had emigrated to
the Ohio J and in Connecticut, where they were
once numerous, there were, in 1799, in the county
of New London, still eighty-four individuals of
them, the remains of a once laige and flourishing
settlement.
The war of 1755 between the English and
the French, which was but the'legitimate fruit of
the imperfect treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, concluded
April 30, 1748, witnessed a new alUance of the
Mahicans and their kindred tribes, and the active
alliance of the Delawares and neighboring tribes
with the French, whose early and sweeping suc-
cesses allied to their interests the western Indians
generally, and caused the Iroquois, then, thraugh
the assiduous labors of the Jesuit priests, about
equally divided in their numerical representation
in New York and Canada, to falter in their fealty
to the EngUsh Crown, and increased the division
in their ranks as the war progressed, with results
altogether favoring French interests.
The war, which for many years threatened dis-
aster to the EngUsh, finally resulted in their favor,
and left them in possession of Canada and the
territory east of the Mississippi.
At the Revolution the Delawares, who, at the
close of the war in 1763, numbered 600 warriors,*
were divided; those Uving upon the Ohio, to
which they removed in the early part of the eight-
eenth century, and the most numerous i)ortion,
were "dragged" into the war, by which their
numbers were reduced, and "they lost the desire
of becoming a civilized people ; "'\ while the tribes
east of the AUeghanies, including the Mahicans or
River Indians, became the efficient allies of the
colonists, though the number of the latter must
have been inconsiderable. In 1774, Governor
Tryon thus refers to them : —
" The river tribes have become so scattered and
so addicted to wandering, that no certain account
of their numbers can be obtained. These tribes —
the Montauks and others of Long Island, Wap-
pingers of Dutchess county, and the Esopus, Papa-
goncks, etc., of Ulster county — ^have generally
been denominated River Indians and consist of
about three hundred fighting men. Most of these
people at present profess Christianity, and as far
as in their power adopt our customs. The greater
part of them attended the army during the late
war, but not with the same reputation as those
who are still deemed hunters."J
In April, 1774, the Provincial Congress of
Massachusetts apprised the Mahicans and Wap-
pingers at Westenhuck of the gathering tempest,
and expressed a desire to cultivate a good under-
standing with them. " Capt. Solomon Ahhannuau-
waumut, chief sachem of the Moheakounuck In-
dians," to whom the message was addressed, visited
Boston on the eleventh of that month, and his
reply on that occasion sufficiently evinces the
warmth of their attachment to the colonists.
Among other things he said : " Whenever I see
your blood running, you will soon find me about
to revenge my brother's blood. Although I am
low and very small, I will gripe hold of your enemy's
heel, .that he cannot run so fast, and so light, as if
he had nothing at his heels. * * * 'Wg are
ready to do anything for your reUef." After his
return from the battle of Bunker Hill, in which he
and his warriors participated, at a council at
Albany, he renewed this pledge in language most
eloquent. " Depend upon it," he said " we are true
to you, and mean to join you. Wherever you go,
we will be by your sides. Our bones shall he with
yours. We are determined never to be at peace
with the red coats, while they are at variance with
•Co/. Nisi. y/i.,s»3- — — —
t Heckewelder, 67, 68.
XCol.Hist. VlII., 4Si.
2S
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
you. We have one favor to beg. We should be
glad if you would help us to establish a minister
amongst us, that when our men are gone to war,
our women and children may have the advantage
of being instructed by him. If we are conquered,
our lands go with yours ; but if you are victorious,
we hope you will help us to recover our just
rightsv"* Wherever the influence of the Mahicans
could reach, it was exerted among their brethren
of the west. Their valor and devotion was dis-
played on the field of White Plains, Oct. 28, 1776 ;
and at Cortland's Ridge, in Westchester county,
August 31, i778.t
Not a representative of this once numerous
aboriginal race remains in the county ; and scarcely
a vestige of their former occupancy survives the
obliterating agencies of the century since their
departure.
CHAPTER V.
The Moravians — Moravian Mission at Sheko-
MEKo — Christian Henry Rauch Establishes
THE First Successful Moravian Mission in
North America at Shekomeko — Joined by
Buettner — Joseph Shaw sent to Sheko-
meko AS School Master — The Mission-
aries, Pyrl^us, Senseman and Post join the
Mission — Communion First Administered at
Shekomeko — New Chapel at Shekomeko —
Mission at Pachgatgoch Broken Up — Diffi-
culties AT Shekomeko — Efforts to Break
Up the Mission — Persecutions of the Mis-
sionaries and their Indian Converts —
Death of Buettner — Indians Driven from
Shekomeko and Wechquadnach — Interest
in Shekomeko and Wechquadnach Revived
after the Lapse of a Century — Their Sites
Identified — Monuments Erected Thereon
to the Memory of the Missionaries Buett-
ner, Bruce and Powell — Description of
the Monuments.
HAVING examined cursorily the character
of the aborigines of this section of country,
we are prepared in a measure to estimate the
qualities of those who undertook the evangelization
and the difficulties with which they had to contend.
* This has reference to several tracts of land claimed by the Mahicans,
the principal of which was a portion of the Livingston Patent, and lands
at Westenhuck, the latter of which they claimed to have leased to the
whites for a term of years. The matter has several times been before the
New York Legislature, but, like the claim of the Wappingers, has never
been adjusted.
t Indian Tribes of Hudson's River, »69-z87.
This task, so far as this county is concerned, was
confined to the Moravians, whose heroism, devo-
tion and self-sacrifice find their parallel only in the
zeal of the Jesuits, of whom Parkman says, " No
rehgious order has ever united in itself so much to
be admired and so much to be detested." Each
alike were men of culture and intelligence, who for-
sook homes of luxury in Europe, and submitted
with a wonderful patience and heroism to the most
menial offices, the utmost hardships and privations,
and cheerfully accepted missions attended with the
most inconceivable danger in the zealous pursuit
of their calling.
The Moravians, a name " redolent with Christian
faith and hope" — were then just emerging to promi-
nence from under the cloud of religious conten-
tion and persecution which, for centuries, had
tinged their history with a melancholy interest;
and they entered upon their arduous and self-ap-
pointed labors with the vigor of resuscitated man-
hood succeeding protracted and enfeebled infancy.
But, says the Moravian historian, Reichel, it was
under peculiar difficulties that they commenced
their labors among the nomads of this western
world. Entering upon them at a time when the
contending civilizations of Europe on this con-
tinent, which, for nearly a century and a half had
a doubtful issue, were approaching a determinate
issue, and just upon the eve of those difficulties
which culminated in the French and Indian war,
they became an object of two-fold suspicion. They
stood between the Indian and the aggressive An-
glo-Saxon, but were friends of both.
They adopted as peculiarly their own the mission
of converting the heathen in fields which others
had not attempted to cultivate. In 1732, the first
missionaries of the society were sent to the Island
of St. Thomas in the West Indies, *hen and still
under the Danish government; and in 1733, a
successful mission was established on the inhospi-
table coast of Greenland. In 1734, a number of
brethren living in Berthelsdorf, in Upper Lusatia,
under the protectorate of Count Nicolas Lewis
von Zinzendorf, a son of one of the prime min-
isters at the Court of Saxony, resolved to go to
Georgia; but on arriving at Holland, changed
their minds and removed to Pennsylvania, estab-
lishing the Moravian colony at Bethlehem in that
State, which became the headquarters of the Society
in this country. In November, 1734, others, under
the leadership of John Toeltschig and Anthony
Seyffart, left Herrnhut, a Moravian settlement in
Saxony, to establish a colony in Georgia, on a
THE FIRST MORAVIAN MISSION AMONG THE DELAWARES.
29
tract of land granted to Count Zinzendorf by the
Trustees of that province, for cultivation by the
brethren, who hoped that a way might thus be
opened to preach the gospel to the Creek, Chicka-
saw and Cherokee Indians. In London they were
joined by Rev. Augustus GottHeb Spangenberg.
They arrived in Georgia in the spring of 1735, and
were joined by others during the summer. The colo-
ny had but just entered upon a career of prosperity,
when they were involved in serious political com-
plications. The Spaniards made an effort to expel
the English from Georgia, and the brethren were
called upon to join the other colonists in arms to
resist the attempt; but this they refused to do.
This dissatisfied the other colonists and the
brethren were constrained to leave their flourish-
ing plantations, which a portion of them did in
1738, and the remainder in 1740, retiring into
Pennsylvania.
Under these discouraging circumstances was
commenced the Moravian mission at Shekomeko,
in the town of Pine Plains in this county — a place,
which, says Mr. Isaac Hunting, was notorious for
its wickedness, and had been for years before.
Seeking another field of labor, one of these brethren.
Christian Henry Ranch, was dispatched to New
York, where he arrived July 16, 1740. There he
unexpectedly met Frederick Martin, a missionary
from St. Thomas, who introduced him to several
influential persons, who, it was thought, would take
an interest in the work, and give him information
respecting the Indians and the best means of gain-
ing an influence with them. But they unanimously
discouraged the attempt, saying "that the Indians
were, universally, of such a vicious and abandoned
character, that all efforts for their improvement
would be dangerous, as well as utterly in vain,'' as
all hitherto made had been.
Not discouraged, however, he sought out an em-
bassy of Mahicans, who had recently arrived in
New York on business with the Colonial Govern-
ment. At his first visit, and for some time after-
ward, they were "in a state of beastly intoxication
and terribly ferocious in appearance and manners."
Patiently awaiting their return to sobriety, he opened
a conversation with two of the principal chiefs —
Tschoop and Shabash — who, from their intercourse
with the Dutch settlers along the Hudson, were
slightly acquainted with the Dutch language. With-
out ceremony he inquired if they desired " a teacher
to instruct them in the way to salvation ?"
"Tschoop answered in the affirmative, adding, that
he frequently felt disposed to know better things
than he did, but knew not how, or where to find
them; therefore, if any one would come and in-
struct him and his acquaintance, he should be
thankful; that they were all poor and wicked, yet
he thought that it might answer a good purpose, if
a teacher would come and dwell with them." Sha-
bash gave his assent. Rejoiced at this disposition,
Ranch promised to accompany them on their re-
turn ; " upon which they declared him to be their
preacher, with true Indian solemnity." "Some
days after he visited again, but found them so much
intoxicated, that they could neither speak nor
stand. Upon his third visit he found them sober,
and having agreed to set out before them, they
promised to call for him at Mr. Martin Hoffman's,
on North River." Here for some days he awaited
their arrival in vain, when, going in search of them
to a neighboring Indian town, they missed him, and
proceeded on their journey.
The devoted missionary soon followed them to
their village of Shekomeko,* which was situated
in "a most beautiful and romantic spot," on lot 12
of the Little Nine Partners, now the farm of Mr.
Edward Hunting, about, two miles south of the
village of Pine Plains. He arrived August 16,
1740, "and was received in the Indian manner
with much kindness.'' Tschoop and Shabash had
previously "announced him as the man whom they
had appointed to be their teacher;" and he im-
mediately addressed them on the subject of his
mission, and of the means of redemption, to which
they listened " with great attention," and, appar-
ently, " not without impression." But the next day,
when he repeated his exhortations, " he perceived
with sorrow that his words excited derision, and at
last they openly laughed him to scorn." Not dis-
couraged, however, at this rebuff, he indefatigably
visited the Indians in their huts and made them
the subjects of personal exhortations. Amid
mental suffering, while struggling with outward
distress and famine, he persevered in his efforts,
traveling on foot from one Indian town to another,
as he had neither the means to keep a horse nor
hire a boat, suffering from heat and fatigue, and
often denied even the poor shelter of an Indian
hut for refreshments and rest.
* Mr. Isaac Huntings of Pine Plains, in a contribution to The Dutch-
ess Farmer^ under date of April la, 1878, says, this word, which he
spells Che-ko-me-ko, with the accent on the last syllable, means '^ Little
Mountain" — *' one of the range of high hills three miles south of the
villaG;e of Pine Plains, the one whose high point terminates so abruptly to
the west in the Sterrick Valley, " which Loskiel calls **Stissik mountain.'*
We have adopted the orthography in general use among authors. Mr.
Lossing, the historian, says, on the authority of Aunt Eunice Maweehu,
the word is more correctly pronounced with the accent on the second
syllable.
s°
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
At length his zeal and devotion, which gradually
won the confidence and respect of the Indians,
was rewarded by the conversion of Tschoop, " the
greatest drunkard and the most outrageous villain
among them," who asked the missionary, says
Loskiel, " what effects the blood of the Son of
God, slain on the cross, could produce in the heart
of man." Shabash was soon after awakened,
"and the labor of the Holy Spirit became remark-
ably evident in the hearts of these two savages.
Their eye? overflowed with tears, whenever Brother
Rauch described, to them the sufferings and death
of our Redeemer. They often lamented their
former blindness in worshiping idols." These
conversions aroused the neighboring Christians,
particularly the inhabitants of Rhinebeck, who
became eager to hear the gospel, and desired the
missionary to preach to them in a barn. Many,
says Loskiel, received an abiding blessing. The
change which took place in the heart and conduct
of Tschoop was very striking; for he had been
distinguished in all parties met for diversion as
the most outrageous, and had even made himself
a cripple by debauchery.
But now, says Rev. Sheldon Davis, in his S/ie-
komeko* many of the white settlers, who, while
they corrupted, abused and vilified the Indians,
lived upon their vices, and made large gains, es-
pecially by their drunkenness, conceived that their
interests would be injured by the success of the
missionary. They therefore stirred up the more
vicious Indians, and raised a persecution against
him, and even instigated them to threaten his life
if he did not leave the place. Even Tschoop and
Shabash were filled with mistrust, and became
disaffected towards him. The former even sought
an opportunity to shoot him, says Loskiel; and
the latter, though he did not seek his life, avoided
him everywhere. Once, he adds, an Indian ran
after him with a hatchet, and would doubtless have
killed him, had he not stumbled and fallen into
the water. Thus not only contempt, mockery and
insults were, as he expressed it, his daily bread,
but several white people even sought an occasion
to beat and abuse him, and some threatened to
hang him in the woods.
In the midst of these bitter trials he writes :
"Yet I will continue to preach the death of the
* This is the title of a pamphlet published at Foughkeepsie, in May,
1858, by Rev. Sheldon Davis, an Episcopal clergyman, then resident at
Pleasant Valley. As early as 1850, Mr. Davis' attention was called to
the existence of certain memorials of the Moravian missions in this
countyf and he first directed the attention of the public and the Moravian
Church to the condition of these mission sites in this State and Connecti-
cut.
Lord Jesus, for my soul hungers and thirsts after
the salvation of these heathen. To gather souls
for Him, is the chief desire of my heart, and I
proceed upon the word of my I.,ord in spite of the
combined force of the enemy; for no gate of Hell
is so well secured as to resist the power of Christ
to burst it open." Nevertheless, he thought it
advisable to depart for a while ; and he sought and
found refuge with a German settler named John
Rau, (now spelled Rowe,) a farmer living two
miles east of Shekomeko, and whose sons Matthias
and Philip are the more immediate ancestors of
the Rowes now living in and about Pine Plains.
Mr. Rau was friendly to the cause of Christiani-
ty and to the missionary ; but endeavored to dis-
suade him from the attempt to Christianize "a set
of savages, more like incarnate devils than human
beings," as he regarded the objects of Mr. Rauch's
labors. However the missionary was not to be
diverted from his purpose, which was to pursue
his higher calUng as opportunity offered, while
supporting himself by the labor of his hands and
by applying the httle skill he possessed in the use
of medicines. Admiring his zeal, Mr. Rau offered
him a home, on condition that he instruct his chil-
dren, for, added he, " we white people are as wicked
and ignorant as the heathen." He was ever after
the firm friend of the faithful missionary, and
aided and defended him and those subsequently
associated with him through all the persecutions
which ultimately drove them from the colony and
compelled them to abandon the mission.
During all these trials, the good missionary fol-
lowed his converts " with patierice and much love,
praying for them, and sowing the word of God in
tears." His courage, prudence, meekness and per-
severance gradually restored the confidence of the
Indians, with whom he spent much |ime in their
huts, ate and drank with them, and even slept
among them with the greatest composure. This
latter circumstance particularly impressed them, es-
pecially Tschoop, who remarked to himself: " This
man cannot be a bad man, he fears no evil, not
even from us, who are so savage, but sleeps
comfortably, and places his life in our hands."
Tschoop was the first reclaimed, and Shabash soon
followed; and notwithstanding the base efforts
made to seduce them, they persevered in the course
of rectitude. Such was the success of the mission-
ary's labors, that many Indians, not only in Sl^ko-
meko, but also in Wechquadnach, Pachgatgoch
and other neighboring towns, "were powerfully
convinced of the truth of the gospel."
COUNT ZINZENDORF VISITS SHEKOMEKO.
31
In June, 1741, Ranch visited the brethren in
Bethlehem, and returned in company with Bishop
David Nitschman, the companion and co-laborer
of Count Zinzendorf, who, on his return, gave a
favorable report of what he had seen in Shekomeko.
In October, 1741, Gottlob Buttner, Christopher
Pyrlseus and William Zander arrived from Europe
to assist in the missions of the society, and in Jan-
uary, 1742, Biittner, a native of Silesia, and a weaver
by trade, by appointment of Count Zinzendorf, who
arrived in Pennsylvania in the latter part of 1741,
visited Shekomeko, to invite Rauch to a synod of
of the brethren of Oley, Pennsylvania. "The
gentle and laborious Biittner, "a martyr to the
blessed work upon which he then entered," "whose
grave at Shekomeko," says Davis, "has called up
and preserved the memory of this noble effort of
the Moravians, and whose brief history is of the
greatest interest in connection with this mission,"
spent ten days with Rauch, and first preached
to the Indians of Shekomeko, January 14, 1742.
January 22, 1742, Rauch and Biittner left She-
komeko to attend the synod at Oley. They were
accompanied by three Indian converts, Shabash,
Seim and Kiop. They traveled on foot, and, being
in the company of Indians, "were refused admit-
tance at some inns,'' while at others, they were
" not only laughed at, but their bills were purposely
overcharged." They reached Oley February 9th,
and on the i ith, Rauch and Biittner were ordained
deacons by Bishops Nitschman and Zinzendorf.
After this ceremony, Rauch baptized the three In-
dians who accompanied him, calling them respec-
tively Abraham, -Isaac and Jacob. These were
the first fruits of the Moravian missions in North
America. Tschoop was too lame to undertake so
long a journey at that time.
Rauch and the three Indians soon after returned
to Shekomeko, where, on the i6th of April follow-
ing, the first sacramental ceremony was performed,
and Tschoop was baptized, receiving the christian
name of John. "This man," says Loskiel, "who
formerly looked more like a wild bear than a hu-
man creature, was now transformed into a lamb,
and whoever beheld him, was amazed at so evident
a proof of the powerful efficacy of the word and
sacrament of the Lord." He, as well as Abraham
and Isaac, and the wife of Abraham, with others
to the number of eighteen, fell a victim to the small-
pox, which prevailed among the Indians in 1746,
first at Bethlehem and then at Gnadenhwetten. He
died at Bethlehem, August 27, 1746, andlies buried
there with his Indian brethren.
The wonderful change which had taken place in
these four baptized Indians, whose countenances,
says Loskiel, as compared with the unbelieving
Indians, were so different, as to be remarked by
all who saw them, awakened the attention of oth-
ers, who flocked to Shekomeko, from a distance of
twenty-five to thirty miles around.
In the summer of 1 7 42, Rauch was visited at
Shekomeko by the distinguished Count Zinzendorf,
his daughter Benigna, said to be beautiful and in-
teresting, and Anthony Seyffart. This was an
event which adds no little interest to the associa-
tions which cluster around Shekomeko. They left
Bethlehem on the 21st of August, and crossed the
country to Esopus, (Kingston,) where they were
joined by another party of brethren from New
York. They arrived at Shekomeko on the 27th,
" after passing through dreadful wildernesses,
woods and swamps, on which they suffered much
hardship." The missionary received them into
his hut with unexpressible joy, and the follow-
ing day lodged them in a bark cottage, erected
for them, which the Count afterwards declared
was "the most agreeable dwelling he had ever
inhabited."
During the Count's stay he baptized six Indians,
named Kaupaas, Kermelok, Herries, and the wives
of Shabash, Seim and Herries. To the men he
gave the baptismal names of Timothy, Jonah and
Thomas; and to the women, Sarah, Rebecca and
Esther. These six, together with the four previ-
ously baptized, he formed the same day into a
Christian congregation — the first congregation of
Indians established by the Moravians in North
America. The "four firstlings were appointed
assistants, and blessed for their office with impo-
sition of hands ;" because, says the eighth article
drawn up for their guidance, " a peculiar power of
grace and spirit evidently rests upon them." John
( Tschoop) was appointed Indian teacher and inter-
preter; Abraham, (6'-4ffl^aj/4,) elder; Jacob, {Kiop,)
exhorter; and Isaac, {Seim,) servant.
The Count took an affectionate leave of Rauch
and the Indians at Shekomeko, Sept. 4, 1742, and
set out for Bethlehem, accompanied by some un-
baptized Indians ; two of whom, having answered
satisfactonly several questions put to them in the
presence of the whole congregation, were baptized
by the Count and the missionary Biittner, and named
David and Joshua. They were the first Indians
baptized in Bethlehem. David, as well as Thomas,
before referred to, were among the small-pox vic-
tims of 1746.
32
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
Eiittner, who has been called the Luther of the
Shekomeko mission, spent some time after his
ordination at Bethlehem and its vicinity, preaching
and searching for a wife, whom he found in the
person of Margaretta, third daughter of John
Bechtel, of Germantown. With his wife, to whom
he was married by Count Zinzendorf, Sept 14,
1742, he rejoined Ranch at Shekomeko, Oct. i,
1742 ; and the two preached with unanimity and
zeal, either in English or Dutch; while John,
Jonathan and other baptized Indians interpreted
and confirmed their words, both in public and in
private, with great energy. The Indians from the
neighboring towns made frequent visits to Sheko-
meko, and many "who had formerly Hved like
wild beasts, worshiping idols, bloody-minded, and
eagerly pursuing all manner of vices and abomina-
tions," flocked to hear the gospel. Towards the
close of the year, Martin Mack and his wife arrived
at Shekomeko to engage in missionary labors ; and
Rauch went on a visit to Bethlehem. Such was
the success which rewarded their zeal, that at the
close of the year 1742, the number of baptized In-
dians in Shekomeko was thirty-one — all Mahicans.
December 6, 1 7 42, a burying ground for the use
of the baptized Indians was laid out, and in it the
lamented Biittner was afterwards buried. The first
interment in it was that of a child named Lazara.
The spiritual harvest at Shekomeko demanded
more laborers. Count Zinzendorf returned to
Europe in the beginning of the year 1743; but
previous to his departure sent Joseph Shaw to
Shekomeko, as schoolmaster to the Indian chil-
dren. His stay, however, seems to have been of
short duration. Rauch, who married in Bethlehem,
Ann Elizabeth Robins, returned to Shekomeko
in the early part of 1743, and continued his labors
jointly with Biittner and Mack. Not long after
Christopher P)a-laeus and Gottlob Senseman, with
their wives, joined this mission ; also Christian
Frederick Post, "the most adventurous of Mora-
vian Missionaries sent among the Indians, who
afterwards married a Wampanoag named Rachel,
one of the first converts at Pachgatgoch, (near
Kent,) Connecticut. Biittner and his wife re-
mained the greater part of the year 1743 at Sheko-
meko j while the other missionaries spent most of
that period in visiting other places, especially
Wechquadnach* and Pachgatgoch,t the latter
* This village was located on the west side of Indian Pond, in the town
of North East. Aunt Eunice Maweehu said the correct name was Pacii-
quadn^h, which orthography was first used by tlie Moravian Mission-
aries, as reference to their diaries shows.
-tThis name, as used by the Missionaries, as well as the modem Schagh-
ticoke, are, according to Aunt Eunice Maweehu, corruptions of Pisli-
gachtigok, signifying the confluence of two streams.
about twenty miles from Shekomeko. Rauch
visited the country about Albany, Schoharie and
" Canatschochary ;" and Pyrlseus, the Mohawks at
Tulpehokin, remaining three months with the dis-
tinguished interpreter, Conrad Weiser, to learn
their language.
Most of the Indians who visited Shekomeko,
" and who were truly awakened," lived at Pachgat-
goch. Having applied in vain to the magistrates
of Connecticut for a Christian minister, they be-
sought the Moravians to send one to preach " the
sweet words of Jesus." Accordingly Mack and his
wife went thither on the 38th of January. They
also visited Potatik, a village about seventy miles
further inland. They returned to Shekomeko at
the expiration of two weeks, but later in the year
he and his wife took up their abode at Pachgat-
goch. The success of the mission at Pachgatgoch
was even greater than at Shekomeko, and it was
continued there at intervals for more than twenty
years.
"The Indian congregation at Shekomeko con-
tinued to increase in number and grace," and
March 13, 1743, the holy communion was for the
first time administered to them. It was preceded
by a love feast, and followed by the pedilavium.
" During the subsequent meeting for adoration
and thanksgiving," writes the missionary, " we
were overcome with weeping, and whilst I live, I
shall never lose the impression this first com-
munion with the Indians in North America made
upon me."
In July, 1743, the new chapel at Shekomeko was
finished and consecrated, some of the elders of
the congregation at Bethlehem being present. It
was thirty feet long and twenty broad, and entirely
covered with smooth bark. The daily meetings
were now regulated in a better manner. A dis-
course was usually delivered every forenoon, and a
hymn gung in the evening. A monthly " prayer-
day " was established, at which accounts were read
concerning the progress of the gospel in different
parts of the world. On these days, as well as all
Sundays and festival days, "Shekomeko seemed
alive," says Loskiel, "and it may be said with truth,
that the believers showed forth the death of the
Lord, both early and late. One day above one
hundred savages came thither on a visit, and one
of the missionaries observed, that wherever two were
standing and conversing together, our Lord Jesus,
and his love to sinners, as the cause of his bitter
sufferings, was the subject of conversation. The
zeal of the baptized Indians in testifying of our
PERSECUTIONS OF THE MORAVIAN MISSIONARIES.
33
Saviour was such, that they were thus employed
even till after midnight." At the close of the year
1743, the congregation of baptized Indians consist-
ed of sixty-three persons, exclusive of those at Pach-
gatgoch, from whence Mack had been driven to
Shekomeko, followed by many of the Indians whom
he had instructed, by persecutions instigated by
malevolent white settlers, who had been accustomed
to make the dissolute life of the Indians, especially
their love of Uquor, subservient to their advantage.
Mack, Shaw and Pyrlseus, (the two latter being on
a visit to Pachgatgoch,) were branded as papists
and traitors, and were arrested, " and dragged up
and down the country for three days, till the Gov-
ernor of Connecticut, hearing their case, honorably
dismissed them."
The first months of the year 1744 were spent
in peace by the mission at Shekomeko, which was
then under the care of the missionaries Mack,
Shaw and Senseman ; Post having been recalled,
and Biittner being on a visit to Bethlehem from
January till May of that year. But grave difficul-
ties soon disturbed this grateful quiet. The war
which was commenced this year between the
French and English, known as the French and
Indian War, by which the entire English frontier,
from Nova Scotia to the mouth of the Mononga-
hela, was laid waste by fire and sword, and at least
a thousand people were killed and carried into
captivity, exclusive of the losses of soldiers, was
made the pretext' by disaffected white settlers in
the neighborhood for fomenting jealousy and
hatred against the Moravian missionaries. They
were accused of being in the French interest, and,
like the Jesuits, on whose heads a price was set,
with laboring to alienate the Indians from, and
array them against, the English colonists. The
Indians, who were generally in alliance or in
sympathy with the French, through the great in-
fluence exerted over them by the Jesuit mission-
aries, were commonly looked upon as enemies by
the English colonists, and those who befriended
them naturally became objects of suspicion. These
falsehoods were assiduously circulated, and the
white settlers became thoroughly alarmed. Many
forsook their farms ; others placed themselves
under arms for mutual defense ; and the civil
authorities were urged to interfere.
March i, 1744, says Loskiel, Justice Hegeman,
of Filkentown, (now Mabbettsville,) "arrived in
Shekomeko, and informed Brother Mack, that it
was his duty to inquire what sort of people the
Brethren were, for that the most dangerous tenets
and views were ascribed to them. He added, that
as to himself he disbelieved all those lying reports
concerning them, and acknowledged the mission
in Shekomeko to be a work of God, because, by
the labor of the Brethren, the most savage heathen
had been so evidently changed, that he, and many
other Christians, were put to shame by their godly
walk and conversation ; but that, notwithstanding
his own persuasion, it would be of service to the
Brethren themselves, if he was suffered minutely
to examine into their affairs, with a view to silence
their adversaries." In the absence of Biittner,
who, during these troubles was regarded as their
leader and counselor — a position awarded him no
less from his superiority than his amiability — he
only desired to be informed of his return. Upon
notification of the return of Biittner in May fol-
lowing, the missionaries Ranch, Biittner and Shaw
were summoned to Pickipsi (Poughkeepsie) " to
exercise with the miUtia ; " but they claimed ex-
emption, as ministers of the gospel, from military
service, and did not go. On the i8th of June
another summons was issued, pursuant to an order
from Governor Clinton to Col. Henry Beekman,
dated the 8th,* requiring their attendance on the
23d. The following day a Justice, with the Sheriff
and eight men, arrived from Pickipsi, and in-
formed the missionaries that two companies had
been ready to march to arrest them, but that he
had prevented it, with a view to examining the
whole affair himself. After receiving answers to
his inquiries as to the nature of their business and
who sent them, he observed that, though he con-
sidered the accusations brought against them re-
specting the Indians to be groundless, yet, if
they were papists, as a clergyman in Dover had
positively asserted in a letter then but recently
written, they could not be suffered to remain in
the country. He added, every inhabitant was re-
quired to take two oaths, one of which was, " That
King George being the lawful sovereign of the
kingdom, he would not in any way encourage the
Pretender;" the other, "That he rejected tran-
substantiation, the worship of the Virgin Mary,
purgatory, etc." Biittner assured him that they
could assent to every point contained in the oaths ;
yet, though he did not condemn those who took a
lawful oath, he hoped that, for conscience sake, he
would not insist upon their swearing ; but that he
would submit to every punishment for perjury if
found acting contrary to the asseveration yes or no.
The Justice expressed satisfaction for the present,
* Council Minutes, XIX., Doc. Hist. III., loij.
34
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
but required the missionaries under a penalty of
;^4o to appear before the court in Pickipsi on the
1 6th of October. He then visited the Christian
Indians in their plantations and took leave with
much civility.
Col. Beekman, who had also been ordered to
search the "Moravians and other disaffected
persons " for arms and ammunition, and to cause
the dispersion of the Indians, wrote to the Gover-
nor " that there were four Moravian priests and
many Indians at Schocomico," and that, having
made search for arms and ammunition, he could
neither find nor hear of any. In referring in the
same letter to this visit of the Justice, Sheriff and
others, on the "i8th" of June, he wrote "they
found all the Indians at work on their plantations,"
and that they " seemed in a consternation at the
approach of the Sheriff and his company, but re-
ceived them civilly ; that they found no ammuni-
tion, and as few arms as could be expected for
forty-four men."*
On the 2 2d of June, the missionaries went to
Rhinebeck, in answer to summons, and were re-
quired to prove in open court, before Justice Beek-
man, that they were privileged teachers. " Biittner
produced his written vocation, and his certificate
of ordination, duly signed by Bishop David Nitsch-
man, adding, that the protestant church of the
Brethren had been declared by the Archbishop of
Canterbury to be an Episcopal and Apostolical
church ; and therefore they hoped that they would
be entitled to the same toleration enjoyed by other
protestant communities." These evidences were
rejected, and they were ordered to appear before
the court to be held at Pickipsi in October follow-
ing, by order of the Governor. But as the accusa-
tions against them increased very fast, and a great
stir was raised among the people, the magistrates
thought proper to hasten the examination, and
they were required to appear at Filkentown on the
14th of July. Three witnesses were heard against
them, but their testimony " made no impression
upon the court." Their friend, John Rau, kindly
accompanied them, and was examined in their
behalf. He testified that he " could say nothing
but what tended to their honor; that he had
frequently been present with his whole family at
their meetings, and had never seen anything to
justify the strange accusations brought against
them." They were again honorably acquitted.
In the meantime the accusations of their adver-
saries had been repeatedly brought to the ears of
* Council Minutes, XIX., Doc. Hist III., 1013.
Governor Clinton, and at a meeting of the council
July 5, 1744, on presenting the subject to that
body, he was advised to write to the sheriff of
Duchess county to order the missionaries to appear
before him at New York. The Governor com-
municated this action to Henry Filkin, High Sheriff,
the same date, and on the 17th, that officer visited
Shekomeko, which, he says, in his letter to the
Governor acquainting him of the fact, is inhabited
chiefly by Indians, where also live Gudlop Bydner,
Hendrick Joachim Senseman and Joseph Shaw,
three Moravian priests, with their families, in a
block house, and sixteen Indian wigwams round
about it. The two first were at home, where-
upon he acquainted them with his Excellency's
order, and they promised to set out on the 24th
instant, and that he perceivgd nothing disorderly
there.*
Accordingly the three missionaries repaired to
New York, (Shaw being then at Bethlehem,) and
there learned "that the attention of the whole town
was raised," and that "they were regarded as disturb-
ers of the public peace, deserving either imprison-
ment, whipping, or banishment." They were ex-
amined separately before the council on the ist of
August, and asked to take the oaths, which each
refused to do. Justice Beekman, who had pre-
viously examined them in Rhinebeck, publicly de-
fended them in New York, and affirmed " that the
good done by them among the Indians was unde-
niable." August II, 1744, in re'sponse to the in-
quiry of the Governor as to "what further should
be done in relation to the Moravian priests," it is
recorded that "the council were of opinion to ad-
vise his Excellency to order [them] back to -their
homes and required them to hve there peaceably
and await the further orders of his Excellency." On
the 2 1 St, leave was given them to return home;
but they were enjoined to " live according to their
religiofls tenets in such a manner that no suspicions
might arise concerning them." They received a
certificate of their acquittal in writing, " to secure
them against any injury from the mob." Biittner
and Shaw arrived at Shekomeko on the 9th of
September; but Senseman went to Bethlehem,
there to give an account of these transactions.f
Biittner answered the summons to Pickipsi in
October. His health was already greatly impaired,
yet he was detained there two days in very severe
weather. At last, through the, intervention of a
friend, his case was brought forward ; but having
*Doc. Hist. Ill, 1014.
tLosiiel, Part It, Chap, ly. 6l-6z. Doc. Hist., Ill, 1014-10191
THE MORAVIANS FORBIDDEN TO PREACH TO THE INDIANS.
35
received a dismission from the Governor, he was
liberated without further examination.
The adversaries of the missionaries having thus
far failed in their machinations, except so far as to
annoy them and interfere with the successful prose-
cution of their labors, now resorted to other meas-
ures which, unhappily, were successful and ulti-
mately broke up the flourishing mission at She-
komeko. The prosecutions thus far had been con-
ducted under the enactment against Jesuits, passed
July 31, 1700, previously referred to; but each
examination to which they had been subjected
showed clearly that they had no affiUation with
papacy. It became necessary, therefore, in order
to accomplish their purpose to resort to other
means ; and, knowing that the Moravians had con-
scientious scruples against taking an oath, through
their exertions a law was passed by the As-
sembly September 21, 1744, requiring all persons
residing within the province to take the State oaths
under a pecuniary penalty, or six months imprison-
ment in default, and forbidding any person " to
reside amongst their Indians under the pretence of
bringing them over to the Christian's faith, without
the license of the Governor and the consent of the
council."*
November 27, 1744, the Governor, by advice of
the council, directed the Deputy Clerk of the
council to write to the sheriffs of the counties of
Albany, Ulster and Duchess, " to give notice to
the several Moravian and vagrant teachers among
the Indians in their respective counties * * «
to desist from further teaching or preaching and to
depart this province;" also to the several Justices
of the Peace of those counties, directing them, in
case of refusal, to "immediately put the act in
execution against them." December 15, 1744, the
sheriff and three justices arrived at Shekdmeko,
prohibited all meetings, and commanded the mis-
sionaries to appear before the court in Pickipsi on
the 17th of that month. Biittner was too ill to
comply ; but Ranch and Mack did so, and were
edified by the reading of the act in question. Biitt-
ner thus wrote to the brethren in Bethlehem : "We
are either to depart, or incur a heavy penalty.
They threaten to seize upon all we possess. We
have but little, and if they take away that little,
then we shall yet have as much left as our Lord
had, when on earth."!
♦ This law was calculated to continue in force for one year only, and
expired by its own limitation.— Zlw. Hist., Ill, 1027.
t Digest of Davis's Shekemeko^ in Moravians in New York and Con-
neciicui, 45," Holmes' Missions of the United Brethren, 134; Loskiel,
Part II.., Chaf. 1^,63,64; Doc, Hist., III., 1019, 1010.
In November, 1744, the Moravian Bishop, A.
G. Spangenberg, to whom the care of the affairs of
the brethren in North America had been com-
mitted, visited the persecuted congregation at She-
komeko, with whom he remained from the 6th to
the 1 8th ; but his efforts to devise means whereby
the good work might be continued were unavailing.
December 31, 1744, Count Zinzendorf addressed
a letter from Marienborn, Germany, to the Board
of Trade of New York, in which he complained
of the injustice of the act of September 21, 1744,
and asked for relief Two Moravian ministers also
directed their attention to the same subject. June
28, 1745, the Board of Trade wrote Governor
CUnton, requesting information regarding " the
behaviour of these Moravians," " and whether any
ill-practices on their part gave occasion to their
being inserted by name in the said act." This
elicited from the council in May, 1746, an official
exposition of the reasons which, in their opinion
influenced the Assembly in the passage of the law —
" a document which," says Davis, " for its miscon-
ception of the real character of the zealous and
good men against whom it was aimed, and the
odious imputations which it casts upon them, is
seldom equalled." " It is some palliation, perhaps,
of these persecuting measures/' adds the same
author, "that the public mind was exceedingly
sensitive, and that the whole country was filled
with rumors to the prejudice of the harmless
Moravians. But, on the other hand, it is equally
true that they had fully proved themselves clear of
every charge that had been preferred against them,
and finally, secured a full vindication by the highest
authority of the British Government. For, by an
act of the British ParUament, passed May 12th,
1749, 'the Unitas Fratrum were acknowledged as
an ancient Protestant Episcopal Church ; those of
its members who scrupled to take an oath, were,
exempted from it on making a declaration in the
presence of Almighty God, as witness of the truth;
they were exempted from acting as jurymen ; they
were entirely exempted from raihtary duty under
reasonable conditions.' Such was the ultimate
result of the remonstrances of the Moravians to
the British and Colonial Governments. A result
however, so tardy as that, though it aided their
subsequent missionary efforts, it was yet of little
or no service to the poor Christian Indians and
their self-denying teachers at Shekomeko." In
1753, they were invited to the scene of their
former persecutions both in New York and New
England to preach. In New York city they built
36
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
a church; they ministered to the Indians at
Pachgatgoch and Wechquadnach ; and even the
white settlers of Duchess county " begged for and
obtained a minister from Bethlehem."*
But the beloved Biittner was not permitted to
return with his associates to Bethlehem. He sank
under his physical infirmities, which were aggra-
vated by mental afflictions, and " fell gently and
happily asleep in Jesus," February 23, 1745, in the
presence of all the Indian assistants, whom he
exhorted with his dying lips to be faithful to the
end. The Indians wept over him as children. over
a beloved parent. With holy awe and reverence
they prepared his remains for the tomb. They
dressed his corpse in white, and buried it with
great solemnity in the burying-ground at Sheko-
meko. They watered his grave with their tears,
and for a long period thereafter continued to weep
over it. The stone afterwards erected over his
grave bore the following j inscription : —
HiER RUHET
GOTTLOB BUETTNER,
DER NACH DEN BeFEHL SEINES
GOTTES AM KrEUZ,
DEN Heiden die Botschaft BRACHTE, •
DAS IHRE SUNDEN DURCH DAS
BlUT JeSU VERSOHNT BIND,
welches sie auch angenomen
und sich in den tod des
Herrn haben Taufen lassen.
Sein leztes Flehen war,
DAS SIE Alle mochten behalten werden,
BIS AUF DEN TaG JeSU ChRISTI.
Er war geboren den xxix sten
December MDCCXVI, (v.s.)
UND entschlief, im Herrn,
am xxiii sten Februar MDCCXLV. (v. s.)
After the burial of Biittner, the believing In-
dians held a council, to consider whether they
should not leave Shekomeko ; fearing that, if left
to themselves, they might be gradually overcome
by sinful seductions. However, they continued
to meet as usual, and only now and then one or
more brethren, acquainted with the language, were
* Crantz^ History of the United Brethren^ 401.
t A copy of this inscription is now in the possession of Benson J.
Lossing, LL. D., and was furnished by him for pnblication in The
Dutchess Farmer^ of May 7, 1878. It was copied exact from the tomb-
stone, and sent from "Northeast Town," May 16, 1806, to Gilbert
Livingston, at Poughlceepsie, by Stephen Winans, at the request of his
father, Gerardus Winans, for translation into English. It recently came
into the possession of Mr. Lossing with other papers of the Livingston
family. The original draft, from a published copy of which the above is
given, is preserved in Bethlehem. The following is the English transla-
tion, as given by Loskiel, [Partll.^ Chap.V.^ 69): —
" Here lies the body of Gottlob Buettner, who, according to the com-
mand of his crucified God and Saviour, brought the glad tidings to the
heathen, that the blood of Jesus had made an atonement for their sins.
As many as embraced this doctrine in faith, were baptized into the death
of the Lord. His last prayer was, that they might be preserved until
the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was born December 2Qth, 1716,
and fell asleep in the Lord, February 23, 1745."
sent to visit and advise with them. They fre-
quently went to Bethlehem where they were always
received with great cordiality and friendship, and
sometimes they spent several weeks there in large
companies.
But the persecutions of their enemies did not
cease, and sometimes they were even cruelly
treated ; nor can it be denied, says Loskiel, that
some occasion was given by the inconsiderate
zeal of the awakened Indians, who, often boldly
reproved the white people for their sinful way of
Kfe, and when interrogated, spoke the truth with-
out reserve or caution.
At length the continued aspersions of the absent
missionaries, who were accused of an intention to
reduce the behevers to a state of slavery, had its
effect upon their persecuted and disheartened flock-
Some not only departed from the faith, but returned
to their sinful practices ; division and much slander
was occasioned, which ended at last in confusion
and rhisery. The Moravians resolved on an effort
to remove them from Shekomeko and near to Beth-
lehem, where they might enjoy perfect Uberty of
conscience, and be less exposed to the seductions
of the white people. Wajomick, (Wyoming,) from
which the Shawanese had then mostly removed
to the Ohio, was regarded an eligible location,
and in May, an embassy, consisting of Bishop
Spangenberg, Conrad Weiser, David Zeisber-
ger and Shabash, set out for Onondaga to gain
the consent of the Iroquois, to whom the country
belonged, or by whom it was claimed, to its occu-
pancy. But now an unforseen difficulty arose ; for
after the consent of the Iroquois was obtained, the
Indians at Shekomeko refused to accede to the
proposition. They alleged as a reason that as the
Governor of New York had particularly commanded
them to stay in their own town, and promised them
protection, they could not, therefore, remove with-
out giving new cause for suspicion, and encourag-
ing a new persecution against the missionaries ;
and further, if they emigrated, their unbaptized
friends and relations would yet remain there and
enter upon their old sinful courses, which would
grieve them exceedingly. An event soon tran-
spired, however, which compelled their removal ;
for the white people drove them from Shekomeko
by force, under pretense that the ground upon
which the town was built belonged to other people,
who would soon come and take possesion,* and
* The site of Shekomeko was included in the Little Nine Partners
Tract, which was granted to Sampson Houghton and eight others, April
JO, 1706. A map of the tract was made in 1744, by Charles Clinton, and
ip 1769 lot 12, embracing this site was sold to James Winans, by the
partners.
FINAL EXTINGUISHMENT OF THE MISSIONS.
37
even appointed a watch to prevent all visits from
Bethlehem.* They applied in vairl to the Governor
for help.
It was further reported that a thousand French
troops were on their march to the province, and
that the Indians at Shekomeko, would join them
and ravage the country with fire and sword. The
rumor spread terror, particularly at Rhinebeck, so
that the inhabitants demanded a warrant of the
justice to kill all the Indians at Shekomeko. The
warrant was not granted ; but the fact that it was
demanded was soon known to the Indians, some
of whom, notwithstanding their great attachment to
Shekomeko, were constrained to accept the invita-
tion of the brethren at Bethlehem. In April, there-
fore, ten families, comprising forty-four persons,
left Shekomeko, "with sorrow and tears," for Beth-
lehem, where they were received " with tenderness
and compassion." They were established tem-
porarily adjacent to Bethlehem, in a village called
Friedenshuetten, or " Tents of Peace ;" and sub-
sequently removed to a tract of two hundred
acres, at the junction of the rivers Mahony and
Lecha, (Lehigh) beyond the Blue Mountains,
about thirty miles from Bethlehem, and the same
distance from Wyoming — (near where Mauch
Chunk now stands). This village was called
Gnadenhuetten, or " Tents of Grace ;" and many
other Indians from Shekomeko and Pachgatgoch
soon joined them~there. Others who still remained
joined the army at the call of the English to help
repel the French Indians, who had penetrated to
within a day's journey of Shekomeko.
July 24, 1746, the missionaries Hagen and Post
were sent from Bethlehem to Shekomeko and held
a love-feast with the remaining baptized Indians.
They then, by a written deed of gift, secured the
chapel to them as their property, and thus, with
sorrowful hearts, concluded their labors at this
place, where, within the space of two years, sixty-
one adults had been baptized, exclusive of those
baptized in Bethlehem. The converted Indians
were now dispersed in different places, at a con-
siderable distance from each other, viz : in Gna-
denhuetten, Bethlehem, Pachgatgoch, Wechquad-
nach and Shekomeko; some, notwithstanding the
war and other troubles still remaining at the latter
place, to which they were so much attached, though
their misery daily increased. The brethren from
Bethlehem and Gnadenhuetten frequently visited
Pachgatgoch and Wechquadnach, to prevent the
entire extinguishment of the spark of truth which
*Loskul, Part II. , Chap. K, 80.
yet glimmered there ; and the missionary Frederick
Post staid some time in Pachgatgoch, living in the
Indian manner, preaching the gospel, and work-
ing at his trade as a joiner. In 1747-48, Shekome-
ko was also variously- visited in conjunction with
those places ; and in December of the latter year
all three places were visited by Bishops Johannes
von Watteville and Frederick Cammerhoff, in com-
pany with Nathan Seidel, a minister of the society,
their chief object being " to look after the lost
sheep." At Shekomeko they found everything de-
stroyed, except the burying ground ; but in March'
following, these places were again visited by Bishop
Cammerhoff and Gottlieb Bezold, " to strengthen
the believers, and to administer the sacraments to
them." Twenty Indians were then added to the
church by baptism. In January of this year, 1 749,
the missionary David Bruce was appointed to the
care of the Christian Indians in Pachgatgoch and
Wechquadnach, and remained till his death which
occurred July 9th of the same year. " Since the
before-mentioned visit," says Loskiel, these Indians
" had again formed a regular settlement," the lat-
ter, this time, apparently, on the east border of In-
dian Pond, in the town of Sharon, Connecticut.
Bruce lived chiefly at Wechquadnach, in a house
belonging to the brethren, called Gnadensee. He
sometimes resided at Pachgatgoch, whence he paid
visits to Westenhuck, " by invitation of the head-
chief of the Mahican nation, sowing the seed
of the gospel wherever he came." His funeral
was conducted with appropriate ceremonies, and
one of the assistants " delivered a powerful dis-
course upon the solemn occasion." His suc-
cessor was Abraham Bueninger, who, " at leisure
hours, was very diligent in instructing the children."
In the spring of 1753, "the small congregation of
Indians settled at Wechquadnach were driven away
by their neighbors, and some retired to Wajonick.
Thirty-four of these people, having given satisfac-
tory proofs of their sincerity, obtained leave to re-
move to Gnadenhuetten." In 1755, the missionary.
Christian Seidel, twice visited Pachgatgoch, bap-
tized several Indians, and administered the Lord's
supper to the communicants. He passed " through
Oblong, Salisbury, Shekomeko, and Reinbeck,
where his animated testimony of the gospel was
well received by many." " The congregation at
Pachgatgoch, whose situation," says Loskiel, " was
very distressing in the year 1762, was still more
oppressed during the war, and at length so much
dispersed, that nothing remained but the hopes
that they might unite again in time of peace." This
38
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
is the last account Loskiel gives us of these inter-
esting missions, whose last flickering light seems
now to have been extinguished. The subsequent
history of those who removed hence to Pennsyl-
vania was not less ch'eckered than we have seen it
to have been here, but we have not the space to
follow it. It was, for the most part, a sickening
succession of injustice, outrage and oppression,
such as has characterized the subsequent treatment
' of the unfortunate red man by his white neighbors,
relieved by only an occasional ray of light flashing
athwart their retreating horizon, through the singu-
lar fidelity of the devoted missionaries who first
taught them to look to a future life for that happi-
ness which was denied them in this.
In 1753, immediately after the dispersion of the
Indians at Wechquadnach, Abraham Reinke, an
ordained clergyman, was sent by the Moravians,
in response to a request of the inhabitants, and
established a Moravian congregation of white per-
sons on the western side of Indian Pond, in the
town of North East, on the present farm of Mr.
Douglass Clarke (i 858). The meeting-house stood
here till within a few years ; and in an adjoining
burying-ground is the grave of the Rev. Joseph
Powell, the Moravian missionary of that name, and
one of the last to minister here under the auspices
of the Moravian society. His labors here were
brief, commencing in the spring and ending in the
autumn of 1 7 7 4. As appears from the stone which
stands at his grave, he died in 1774, aged skty-
three years.
For a full century the veil of obscurity was drawn
over the scenes and events we have narrated, and
all knowledge of them was almost obliterated from
the minds of the present generation. For a cen-
tury the remains of the faithful and^ gentle Biittner
enjoyed that serene quiet and rest which were so
foreign to the closing years of his laborious life ;
and but for the stone which marked his last resting-
place, it is probable that his deeds, in this connec-
tion, would never again have been revived in this
locality. That stone, " which," says Mr. Lossing,
the historian, " was a heavy mass of gray carbonate
of lime, smoothed on one side for the inscription,
which is in the thin Latin characters which are met
with in the printing of the last century," was, in the
lapse of time, broken into fragments, and only a
small portion, containing the central part of the
inscription, preserved ; but it was sufficient, with
th^, aid of the records of the society in Bethlehem,
to certainly identify it, and connect it with this mis-
sion. In 1855, that fragment which some sup-
posed to be the monument of an Indian chief,
was deposited in the museum of the Poughkeepsie
Lyceum, and by that society generously presented
to the Moravian Historical Society at Nazareth,
Pennsylvania, who now have it in their posses-
sion.* •
The results of the researches of Rev. Mr. Davis,
as pubHshed in his Shekomeko, came to the knowl-
edge of the Moravian pubKc, and were of so satis-
factory, a nature as to suggest the propriety of
visiting the scenes to which they referred ; and it
was thought that, with the aid of records and docu-
ments known to exist in the archives of the church
at Bethlehem, Mr. Davis' discoveries might be
confirmed, new clues obtained, and the identity of
the old stations established beyond a doubt. Ac-
cordingly, in June, 1859, a party of gentlemen,
members of the Moravian Historical Society,
visited the locaUties of Shekomeko and Wechquad-
nach, under the guidance of Messrs. Lossing and
Davis, whose interest and aid were readily enlisted in
an enterprise of so much interest to this county.
Arriving at Mr. Edward Huntings, the party
were joined, in addition to Mr. Hunting's family,
by other residents of the county. "A slight de-
pression in the soil, and the protruding edge of the
heavy limestone," says the account of this visit,
pubhshed in The Moravian of July 21st and 28th,
were all that marked the grave of Biittner ; which
was discovered in 1854, by Messrs. Davis and
Hunting, with the aid of Mr. Josiah Winans, (a
son of Gerardus Winans, who succeeded his father,
James Winans, as proprietor of the farm, on the
death of the latter in 1795,) who was the only per-
son living from whom any reliable information*
could be obtained in reference to it. By means of
a sketch of Shekomeko, made in 1745, which the
visitors brought with them, they were not only able
to identify the locality of the grave, but also of the
Indian village, the huts of which — seventeen in
number — were arranged in the form of a crescent
around the little bark-covered church, only some
eighteen feet from the missionary's grave. The
following day the party proceeded to the site of
Wechquadnach, where the missionaries, David
Bruce and Joseph Powell, are buried. Of the
Wechquadnach mission house, says the account
before quoted, there is no trace; but Douglass
Clarke, on whose farm it was located, pointed to
where it stood within his recollection. (He was
then — 1859 — " a venerable man of eighty-three.")
Tradition has preserved nothing of the site of the
» The Dutcktss Farmer-, l\a.y ^■,1i^S. ■ •■ —
THE SHEKOMEKO AND WECHQUADNACH MONUMENTS.
■39
Indian village. As the missionaries, in writing
of Wechquadnach, never distinctly allude to one,
"there is room for the presumption that the
dwellings of the Indians were scattered along
the western shore of the lake, inasmuch as the
nature of the ground is such as would have led
them to select it for planting purposes.'' Bruce
was carried across the "Gnaden See'' (Indian
Pond) on two canoes, and buried on the east side
of the Pond. From Wechquadnach the party pro-
ceeded to the site of Pacligatgoch, two miles south-
west of Kent.
July IT, 1859, the Moravian Historical Society
resolved to erect monuments over the grave of
Buttner, and near the graves of Bruce and Powell.
A numerous committee of which Messrs. Davis, of
Pleasant Valley, Lossing, then of Poughkeepsie,
and Edward Hunting and Theron Wilber, of Pine
Plains,. were members, was appointed to collect the
requisite funds and superintend their erection.
October sth and 6th, was the time designated for
the dedication of the monuments. The details of the
work naturally fell to the share of the local mem-
bers of the committee. The monuments were
fashioned by Messrs. Miller & Co., of Poughkeep-
sie ; and Messrs. Davis and Lossing cheerfully un-
dertook to select the material, and to superintend
the lettering of the inscriptions. Two obelisks of
the finest Italian marble were contracted for at
$260, (including transportation and necessary ma-
sonry,) to which was added $16.41 incurred for
lettering.
The monuments were thus described by Mr.
Lossing, in a letter to members of the committee
August sth, 1859:—
" Shekomeko Stone. — Pedestal, 29 inches square;
1 2 inches high ; of Connecticut sandstone. Weigh-
ing 700 lbs. Base, 23 inches square; 12 inches
high ; with moulding above 2\ inches high. Weigh-
ing 500 lbs. Shaft, 18 inches by 15^ below; 17
inches by 14^ above ; 4 feet 5 inches high. Weigh-
ing 1,400 lbs. Entire height, 6 feet 6^ inches.
Entire weight 2,600 lbs."
^^Wechquadnach Stone. — Pedestal, 29 inches
square ; 1 2 inches high ; of Connecticut sandstone.
Weighing 700 lbs. Base, 23 inches square; 11
inches high; with moulding above 2\ inches high.
Weighing 500 lbs. Shaft 18 inches by 15^ below;
I o inches by 8 above ; 6 feet high. Weighing 1,400
lbs. Entire height, 8 feet ■i\ inches. Entire
weight, 2,600 lbs."
The following are the inscriptions on the Sheko-
meko monument: —
[North Side.J
Shekomeko Mis.sion,
Commenced August 16, 1740,
BY
Christian Henry Rauch,
Erected by the
Moravian Historical Society,
October 5, 1859.
[South Side.]
In Memory of
the Mohican Indians,
Lazara,
Baptized Dec. i, 1742. Died Dec. 5, 1742.
and
Daniel,
Baptized Dec. 26^ 1742. Died March 20, 1744.
Upon the west side is the German inscription
which appeared on the original tombstone of Biitt-
ner; and upon the east side, the English transla-
tion of the same.
The inscriptions upon the Wechquadnach monu-
ment are as follows : —
[North Side.J
Joseph Powell,
A Minister of the Gospel
IN the
Church of the United Brethren,
BORNj 1 7 10,
NEAR WhITECHURCH, SHROPSHIRE, ENGLAND,
DIED, Sept. 23, 1774,
AT SiCHEM IN THE ObLONG,
Duchess Co., N. Y.
[South Side.J
David Bruce,
A Minister of the Gospel
IN the
Church of the United Brethren,
from
Edinburgh, Scotland,
DIED July 9, 1749,
at the
Wechquadnach Mission,
Duchess Co., N. Y.
[East Side.]
" How beautiful upon the mountains
Are the feet of him that bringeth
Good tidings, that publisheth peace ;
That bringeth good tidings of good ;
That publisheth salvation." — Isaiah Hi, 7.
[West Side.]
Erected by the
Moravian Historical Society,
October 6, 1859.
October 4, 1859, a delegation of Moravians from
Bethlehem, New York and Philadelphia, arrived at
Pine Plains, and on the evening of that day held in-
40
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
troductory services in the Bethel, a union church in
the valley of the Shekomeko. The two succeeding
days, the 5th and 6th, first the Shekomeko, and
next the Wechquadnach monuments, were dedi-
cated with solemn and imposing ceremonies, con-
ducted according to the Moravian ritual.
The Shekomeko monument marks the grave of
Biittner J that at Wechquadnach stands on a rocky
ledge on the east shore of and overlooking the
beautiful " Gnaden See," or " Lake of Grace," and
the entire region of country in which the Mora-
vians, whose labors it commemorates, carried on
their missionary work. The grave of Bruce, near
which the latter stands, is on the east, and that of
Powell, which is still marked by the stone originally
erected to his memory, on the west side of this
sheet of water.
The services consisted of those portions of the
Moravian ritual that relate to death and the res-
urrection ; the litanies used at burials, which were
.deemed peculiarly appropriate, inasmuch as the
remains of the missionaries were committed to the
grave without the performance of those cherished
rites ; the Easter morning litany, which is observed
yearly in Moravian burying-grounds ; the choral
music of trombonists, a characteristic element of
Moravian obsequies ; and historical and doctrinal
discourses.
CHAPTER VI.
Hudson's Discovkry and Exploration of the
North River — His Intercourse with the Na-
tives—Diverse Claims of the English, French
AND Dutch — Character of the Dutch Col-
onists OF New Netherlands— Early Dutch
Enterprises in the Valley of the Hudson —
The United New Netherland Company — The
Dutch West India Company — Dutch Colo-
nization — Its Pernicious Features — The
Harsh Measures of Director Kieft — Dep-
redations of the Wappingers^ — The Esopus
Wars — The Destruction of Wiltwyck — Ex-
pedition TO Red Hook during the Second
Esopus War — Friendly offices of Wappin-
gers — Indian Treaty of 1664— Its Efficacy
— Supersedure of the Dutch by the English.
ON the 4th of April, 1609, Henry Hudson, an
intrepid English navigator, and the friend
of ©aptain John Smith, having failed in two attempts
to discover a. western passage to the East Indies,
in the interest of a company of London merchants,
sailed from xlmsterdam with a mixed crew of some
twenty Dutch and English sailors, in the employ of
the Dutch East India Company of Holland,
formed the previous year for traffic and coloniza-
tion. He arrived on the American coast near
Portland, Maine, whence he proceeded south along
the coast to the entrance of Chesapeake Bay.
From thence he proceeded northward, discovered
and entered Delaware Bay, and on the 3d of Sep-
tember moored his vessel, the Half Moon (^Halve
Maene,) a mere yacht of about eighty tons burden,
within Sandy Hook. On the fourth he proceeded
up the bay to a very good harbor near the Jersey
shore ; and here he received on board the natives,
who came in great numbers to traffic for knives
and beads. On the fifth Hudson returned the
visit of the natives, who welcomed him by singing
and dancing. " Men, women and children were
feather-mantled, or clad in loose furs." "Some had
pipes of red copper, with earthen bowls, and cop-
per ornaments round their necks." " They were
friendly, but thievish, and crafty in carrying away
what they fancied." On the sixth, five of the crew
were sent in a boat to examine the channel. They
sounded the Narrows and proceeded to Newark
Bay ; but on the return, for some unexplained rea-
son, were attacked by the natives in two canoes,
and John Colman, an Englishman, who had ac-
companied Hudson in his Polar explorations, was
killed by an arrow shot in his throat, and two of
his companions wounded. Colman was buried at
Sandy Hook, and Colman's Point, where his re-
mains were interred, perpetuates the memory of
this first European victim of the natives in these
waters.*
During the three succeeding days Hudson con-
tinued to receive the visits of the natives, some of
whom came armed, though he took tJie precaution
to allow only two of the latter to board the vessel,
and those he detained and dressed them in red
coats. Soon after two others came to the vessel,
and one of these he also detained, but he escaped
by jumping overboard and swimming to the shore.
On the ninth Hudson moved cautiously through
the Narrows, and on the eleventh reached New
York harbor, " where he rode all night." On the
morning of the twelfth he commenced the memor-
able voyage up the river which bears his name.
Owing to the lightness of the wind he could pro-
ceed only a very few leagues. The moment he
anchored, the native men, women and children
renewed their visits in increased numbers, bringing
* History of New Netherland, /,, 36.
HUDSON'S EXPLORATION OF THE NORTH RIVER.
41
beans and very good oysters; but none were
allowed on board. On the thirteenth, with the aid
of the flood tides, he reached a point just above
Yonkers. On the fourteenth, a strong south-east
wind carried him rapidly into the Highlands,
" through the majestic pass guarded by the frown-
ing Donderberg." He anchored at night near
West Point, amidst the most sublime scenery of
the mountains, whose summits were concealed
when he awoke the next morning by a heavy mist
which hung over the river and adjacent country.
Here the two natives whom he held as hostages
escaped through the port-holes of the vessel and
swam to the shore, where they expressed their in-
dignation at the treatment to which they had been
subjected by uttering loud cries of scorn and
anger.
The mist soon cleared and he proceeded up the
river, anchoring at night a little below Red Hook,
within the shadow of the majestic CatskiUs. Here
he found " very loving people and very old men,"
by whom he "was well usedj" and here also he
" caught a great store of very good fish.'' Most
of the sixteenth was spent in taking fresh water.
He did not weigh anchor until night, and then
proceeded only two leagues, when shoal water
compelled him to lay at anchor till morning. On
the thorning of the sixteenth the natives brought
Indian corn, pumpkins (pompions) and tobacco,
which they exchanged for " trifles."
On the evening of the seventeenth, having twice
grounded on shoals during the day, he reached a
point just above the site of Hudson (latitude 42°
.18'.*) On the eighteenth he rode at anchor; and
in the afternoon the " master's mate f went on land
with an old savage, a governor of the country, who
carried him to his house and made him good cheer."
"He was," says O'Callaghan, " chief over forty men
and seventeen women," and says Bancroft, occu-
pied "a house well constructed of oak bark, circular
in shape, and arched in the roof." " Here," adds
O'Callaghan, " he found large quantities of Indian
corn and beans, - sufficient to load three ships,
besides what were still growing in the fields."
At flood tide on the nineteenth, about eleven
o'clock, Hudson weighed anchor and proceeded
"two leagues above the _shoals," anchoring in
eight fathoms of water. Here too, the natives
flocked aboard, bringing grapes, pumpkins and
* Bancroft's History of the Unitid States, II.., r%. O'Callaghan,
{History of New Neiherland, I., J7,) fixes this location in the neighbor-
hood of the present town of Castleton.
t Robert Ivet's account, Transactions New York Historical Society.
Bancroft and O'Callaghan both say it was Hudson himself.
beaver and otter skins, which they exchanged for
beads, knives, hatchets and other trifles. He now,
says Bancroft, " drew near the landing of Kinder-
hook," and ventured no higher with the yacht ; but
sent the master's mate with four men to take
soundings of the river. Two leagues above they
found but two fathoms of water, and the channel
very narrow; but above that, seven or eight fath-
oms. They returned towards night.
On the twenty-first Hudson purposed exploring
the river higher up, but was deterred because
" much people resorted aboard." He determined,
however, "to try some of the chief men of the
country, whether they had any treachery in them.
So he took them down into the cabin and gave
them so much wine and aqua vitas that they were
all merry," and "in the end one of them was
drunk." His companions were filled with astonish-
ment, and " could not tell how to take it.'' They
left in their canoes for the shore ; but some of
them returned again, bringing " stropes of beades,"
which they gave to their stupefied companion, who
slept quietly all night on the vessel. He had re-
covered when his friends came to see him at noon
the next day, and so rejoiced were they that in
the afternoon they visited the boat in great num-
bers, bringing with them tobacco and beads, which
they presented to Hudson, to whom they " made
an oration, and showed him all the country round
about." One of their number was sent ashore,
and soon returned with a great platter of dressed
venison, which they caused Hudson to eat with
them. They then made him reverence and de-
parted, all save the old man, who, having tasted
the fatal beverage, preferred to remain aboard.
Heckewelder has preserved the pathetic Dela-
ware tradition of this first debasing acquaintance
with the Europeans, whom the natives first regarded
with a superstitious fear, believing Hudson to be
none other than iht great manitou. After describ-
ing the consternation of the natives when they
first discovered the strange apparition of a house
upon the waters and the preparations made to give
the supposed manitou the most fitting welcome
their savage natures could devise, he says : —
" Meanwhile, a large Hackhack* is brought by
one of his [Hudson's] servants, from which an
unknown substance is poured out into a small cup
or glass, and handed to the supposed Mannitto. He
drinks — has the glass filled again, and hands it to
the chief standing next to him. "The chief receives
it, but only smells the contents and passes it on to
the next chief, who does the same. The glass or
* Meaning a gourd.
42
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
cup thus passes through the circle, without the
liquor being tasted by any one, and is upon the
point of being returned to the red-clothed Man-
nitto, when one of the Indians, a brave man and
a great warrior, suddenly jumps up and harangues
the assembly on the impropriety of returning the
cup with its contents. It was handed to them,
says he, by the Mannitto, that they should drink
out of it as he himself had done. To follow his
example would be pleasing to him ; but to return
what he had given them might provoke his wrath,
and bring destruction on them. And since the
orator believed it for the good of the nation that
the contents offered them should be drunk, and as
no one else would do it, he would drink it himself,
let the consequence be what it might ; it was
better for one man to die, than that a whole nation
should be destroyed. He then took the glass, and
bidding the assembly a solemn farewell, at once
drank up its whole contents. Every eye was fixed
on the resolute chief, to see what effect the un-
known liquor would produce. He soon began to
stagger, and at last fell prostrate on the ground.
His companions now bemoan his fate, he falls into
a sound sleep, and they think he has expired. He
wakes again, jumps up and declares that he has
enjoyed the most delicious sensations, and that he
never before felt so happy as after he had drunk
the cup. He asks for more, his wish is granted ;
the whole assembly then imitate him, and all be-
come intoxicated."*
Alas, this was but the sad prelude to a sadder
sequel !
On the twenty-second Hudson sent five of the
crew to sound the river higher up. They proceeded
" eight or nine leagues, and found but seven foot
of water, and inconstant soundings." Hudson
was now forced to the conclusion that he had
reached the head of navigation, and he regretfully
retraced his steps on the twenty-third, making two
leagues that day and " seven or eight," the twenty-
fourth, each day grounding on shoals, and the latter
day going ashore, where they " gathered a good
store of chestnuts." On the twenty-fifth and twenty-
sixth he rode at anchor, because of adverse winds.
On the morning of the twenty-sixth " two canoes
came up the river from the place where we first
found loving people," and in one of them was the
old chief who was the subject of the strange ex-
periment with aqua vitae. He brought with him
another old man, who presented Hudson with
" more stropes of beades," " and showed him all
the country there about, as though it were at his
command." Hudson dined with them and their
wives, and " two young maidens of the age sixteen
or seventeen years," who also accompanied them
* Historical Account of the Indian Nations in Transactions of the
Historical and Literary Committee of the American Philosophical
Society., Philadelphia, /., $5, 57. See also Doc. Hist. II., 598, 599.
to the vessel, and " behaved themselves very mod-
estly." To one of the men Hudson gave a knife,
and received in return tobacco. On the twenty-
seventh he was grounded on a shoal " from half
ebb to half flood " tide, but made six leagues. The
old chief who had acquired such a relish for
Hudson's " good cheer " again came on board and
urged him to lie at anchor and go ashore and eat
with him ; but the wind being fair Hudson would
not yield to his request. He departed with a
sorrowful countenance, but Hudson comforted him
with presents and the assurance that they would
return the next year.
On the zgth, Hudson anchored at the lower end
of the Long Reach, which "is six leagues long."
Here natives who came on board brought " Indian
wheat." October ist, while becalmed off Stony
Point, "the people of the Mountains came aboard
of us, wondering at our ship and weapons." One
man, who persisted in " hanging under our stern,''
gained the cabin window by means of the rudder, and
stole a pillow, two shirts and " two bandeleers." He
was detected by the mate, who shot him in the
breast and killed him. The others fled, some taking
to their canoes, others to the water. A boat was
manned, and the stolen goods easily recovered.
An Indian, who swam to the boat, seized it with his
hand and tried to upset it ; but the cook cut off
his hand with a sword and he was drowned.
On the second, at the head of Manhattan
Island, the vessel was approached by a canoe
containing one of the natives who escaped from it
on the voyage up ; but fearing treachery, Hudson
would not allow him nor his companions on board.
Two other canoes, filled with armed warriors, now
came under the stern, and an attack was made
with arrows ; but they were repulsed with a loss of
two or three men. Over a hundred of the natives
then took position on a point of land, but a falcon
shot killed two of them, and the rest fled to the
woods. Another canoe, manned with nine or ten
warriors, came to meet them j but a falcon shot
was sent through it and one of its occupants killed.
Three or four others were killed and the rest dis-
persed with musketry. Hudson then dropped down
two leagues, and was free from further danger.
Such were the events which opened up to Eu-
ropean emigration the beautiful and fertile valley
of the Hudson, and sowed the seeds of decay
among the native tribes, whose shattered fragments
were rolled back Uke a shriveled scroll upon the
western nations, who, in their turn, are rapidly re-
ceding in constantly diminishing numbers before
FIRST SETTLEMENT AT NEW AMSTERDAM.
43
the onward march of civilization. Soon after the
intelligence of Hudson's discoveries were received
in Holland, in whose name he took possession of
the country, colonization projects engaged the at-
tention of the company who employed him.
Little is known of Hudson's earlier life, except
that in youth he received a thorough maritime edu-
cation. His connection with the Dutch East India
Company ceased soon after his arrival in England
in November, 1609; for England, having become
jealous of the maritime enterprises of the Dutch,
caused his detention in that country. He re-
entered the service of the London Company, and
in 1 6 10 voyaged in search of a north-west passage
to India. He discovered and entered the bay
which bears his name ; but continuing his search
too long, was compelled to spend the winter in the
northern latitude. In the spring, a part of his
crew mutinied, and placing him, his son and seven
others in a boat, left them to their fate. He is
supposed to have perished in this situation, but his
fate is a mystery.
Three European nations at this time based
claims to a part of the territory embraced in the
State of New York ; England, by reason of the
discovery of Cabot and his son Sebastian, claiming
a territory eleven degrees in width and extending
westward indefinitely; France, by reason of the
discoveries of Verrazani, claiming a portion of the
Atlantic coast ; and Holland, by reason of the dis-
covery of Hudson, claiming the country from Cape
Cod to the southern shore of Delaware Bay. But
the Dutch became the actual possessors of the
country.
Colonization in New York, not less than in New
England, was an emanation from the Reformation,
which emancipated the Low Countries on the one
hand, and was followed by collisions between
English dissenters and the AngUcan hierarchy on
the other. "The Netherlands," says Bancroft,
" divide with England the glory of having planted
the first colonies in the United States ; they also
divide the glory of having set the example of public
freedom. If England gave our fathers the idea of
a popular representation, the United Provinces
were their model of a federal union."*
The pilgrim fathers who colonized New England,
fleeing from religious persecution at home, found
refuge in Holland, which was then struggling to
throw off the oppressive yoke of Spanish tyranny,
and there learned their first lesson in popular gov-
ernment, from a people, who, from the time of the
* History e/ the United States, II., 18.
universal sway of imperial Rome, " had been ani-
mated by an indomitable spirit of civil Uberty." "The
Dutch Republic," says Brodhead, "which for nearly
a century after it first took its place in the rank of
independent nations continued to sway the balance
of European politics, owed its proud position to
the moral qualities and free spirit of the people of
the Netherlands ; to the constitution of their gov-
ernment ; to their geographical position ; their
maritime power ; their liberal commercial policy ;
their spirit of universal toleration ; and to the wise
statesmanship which attracted to their shores a
winnowed population from other lands."
The truce with Spain, concluded April 9, 1609,
which virtually, if not formally, acknowledged Dutch
independence, brought a temporary respite to the
people of the Netherlands, who, for more than forty
years, had been struggling with desperate energy
and dogged determination against the mighty forces
of Spain. Four days before the consummation of
this truce, which was wrung from Spain by the
great victory achieved over the Spanish fleet the
previous year, by that bold navigator, Jacob
Heemskirk, Hudson had sailed on his voyage of
exploration in the interest of Holland ; and when
his discoveries were made known, the people were
ripe for those adventures which planted colonies in
the valleys of the Hudson and Delaware from the
surplus population at the mouths of the Rhine.
In 1610, the Dutch sent out a vessel to engage
in the fur trade on the banks of the river discov-
ered by Hudson. In 1612, and again in 1614,
Hendrick Christiansen and Adrian Block fitted out
two other vessels for the same purpose, and were
soon followed by others. The fur trade proving
successful, Christiansen was appointed to superin-
tend it and Manhattan Island made the chief depot.
In 161 4, he erected a small fort and a few rude
buildings on the southern extremity of the island,
which he called New Amsterdam. March 27, 1614,
the States General of the United Netherlands
secured to each discoverer the exclusive right to
make four voyages to the lands discovered by him
for the purpose of trading with the natives ; and
October 1 1 th of the same year a charter was granted
to an association of merchants engaged in the traflic,
conferring on them the exclusive right to trade for
three years in the territory situated between New
France and Virginia, (between 40° and 45° of lati-
tude,) the whole region being then known as New
Netherland.
In the meantime, in 1614, explorations were
being made in the surrounding country. Adrian
44
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
Block passed up the East River, Long Island
Sound — demonstrating for the first time the insular
character of Long Island — up Connecticut River,
and into the bays and along the islands eastward to
Cape Cod. Cornelissen Jacobson Mey explored
the southern coast of Long Island and southward
to Delaware Bay; Capt. John DeWitt sailed up
the North River and gave his name to one of the
islands near Red Hook ; while Hendrick Christian-
sen ascended that ^ream to Castle Island, a Uttle
below Albany, (which has long since become a part
of the main land,) where he established a trading
post, and, in 1615, built a small fort called Fort
Nassau, which, being damaged by the flood in
1 6 18, was removed a little below to the Norman's
Kill. Here a treaty of peace was formed between
the Five Nations and the representatives of New
Netherland, which remained inviolate so long
as the Dutch retained possession of the country.
A third fort was built at the mouth of Rondout
Kill, on the site of the city of Kingston, contempo-
rary with those at New Amsterdam and Castle
Island; but it was not until 1652 and 1653 that
any settlers took up land in that quarter.
Thus the colonization of New York may be said
to have fairly begun at three detached points along
the Hudson in 16 14; though, up to this time, and
for some years later, the energies of the Dutch were
directed more to commerce than colonization.
This was six years before the estabUshment of the
Plymouth Colony; sixteen years before Governor
Winthrop founded Boston ; twenty-one years before
the settlement of the Connecticut Valley was begun
by William Pynchon and his followers at Spring-
field, and Thomas Hooker and his band at Hart-
ford ; sixty-eight years before Penn concluded that
famous treaty with the Lenni-Lenape tribes, which
remained inviolate during his life-time ; and sixty-
nine years before the founding of Philadelphia by
the same admirable man.
The Dutch establishment at New Amsterdam
increased, and the fur trade became so profitable
that at the expiration of their charter, the States
General refused to renew it, giving instead a tem-
porary license for its continuance. It had become
sufiiciently attractive to tempt the avarice of English
capitalists. In 1620, James I. granted all the ter-
ritory between the 40th and 48th degrees north
latitude, extending from ocean to ocean, to Ferdi-
nando Georges and his commercial associates, and
in their interest Capt. Dermer appeared at Man-
hattaft and laid claim to all the territory occupied
by the Dutch, This claim was strengthened by
instructions to the English ambassador at the Dutch
capital to remonstrate against Dutch intrusion.
Notwithstanding this remonstrance, however, June
3, 1621, the States General chartered the Dutch
West India Company, an armed mercantile associa-
tion "designed to co-operate in extending national
commerce, in promoting colonization, in crushing
piracy, but, above all, in humbling the pride and
might of Spain," and gave them exclusive jurisdic-
tion for a period of twenty years over the province
of New Netherland, with power to appoint govern-
ors, subject to the ajjprovalof the State, to colonize
the territory, and administer justice.
By virtue of this charter the company took pos-
session of New Amsterdam in i622-'3. The exec-
utive management was entrusted to a board of
directors, distributed through five separate cham-
bers in Holland. The charge of the province
devolved on the Amsterdam chamber, which, in
1623, sent out a vessel under the direction of Capt.
CorneUssen Jacobson and Adriaen Jorissen Tien-
pont, with thirty famihes, most of whom were in
the company's service, for colonization. A portion
of these settled on the Connecticut ; others on the
Hudson, at Albany, where, in 1624, they built Fort
Orange ; and the remainder on the Delaware, near
Gloucester, where, the same year, (1624,) Fort
Nassau was built. This was the first settlement on
the Delaware. In May, 1626, Peter Minuit arrived
in New Netherland as Director General or Gover-
nor of the Province.
No systematic attempt was made to promote
colonization until 1628. March 28th of that year,
the "Assembly of XIX." referred to a committee
for examination, the draft of a "charter of privi-
leges and exemptions," which, after revision and
amendment, was agreed to June 7, 1629. This
secured certain privileges to patroons, masters and
individuals who planted colonies in ffew Nether-
land under its provisions, and "transplanted to the
free soil of America the feudal tenure and feudal
burdens of continental Europe."* " While it secured
the right of the Indian to the soil," says Moulton,
"and enjoined schools and churches, it scattered
the seeds of servitude, slavery and aristocracy.
While it gave to freemen as much land as they
could cultivate, and exempted colonists from taxa-
tion for ten years, it fettered agriculture by restrict-
ing commerce and prohibiting manufacture."
But the very provisions of this charter defeated
the object of its projectors. The patroons who
acquired titles to lands under it, were not less ea^er
*HUiory of New Netherland I., uo.
PERNICIOUS FEATURES OF DUTCH COLONIZATION.
45
than the Dutch West India Company to drive a
profitable trade with the natives. They were, in-
deed, directors of that company, which, though it
introduced a few settlers, offered few inducements
to them to remain. Up to 1633, the company,
though its estabUshment gave it more of the charac-
ter of an independent sovereignty than a chartered
mercantile society, had scarcely secured a solitary
agricultural settler to fell the forest or reclaim the
wilderness. Had they been disposed even to make
colonization their chief object, the jealousy en-
gendered between the company and the patroons
would have neutralized their efforts in that direc-
tion ; for each accused the other of having en-
croached upon its special privileges, and the con-
sequence was fatal to the prosperity of the country.
The spirit of monopoly which breathed throughout
that charter, discouraged private enterprise and
industry, so that individuals who were inclined
to em'grate abandoned their design "and durst
venture nothing." In these elements lay the weak-
ness of the Dutch colony; and in'them it is prob-
able, we may trace its ready submission to the
supplanter in 1664. While the Enghsh colonists
sought this country for the purpose of estabUshing
homes, the Dutch were only desirous of avaiUng
themselves of the profitable trade with the natives,
and while the former were becoming thrifty and
populous through agricultural enterprises, the latter,
after fifteen years' operations by the company,
were decreasing in number, and the wide extent of
territory claimed by the Dutch government, was
"removed scarcely a degree from its primitive state
of wilderness, uninhabited, except by a few traders
and clerks in the employ of a distant corporation,
its rich and luxuriant soil almost wholly uncultivat-
ed and unreclaimed, for the number of farms as
yet amounted to not much more than half a dozen
around Fort Amsterdam, and the same number
around Fort Orange. It afforded evidence every-
where of mismanagement."*
The States General saw the error and, though
late, endeavored to apply the remedy. It was at
this critical juncture that William Kieft assumed
the duties of Director General of the Province,
arriving at Manhattan, March 28, 1638. The
monopoly of the West India Company was abolish-
ed in 1638, and the privilege of trade, as well as
the cultivation of the soil, was extended to all un-
der certain regulations and restrictions. Emigra-
tion was encouraged by liberal assistance rendered
those who chose to avail themselves of its benefits.
"History of New Neiherland /, 157, '77. 178.
These measures stimulated individual enterprise,
and increased the population. They attracted
" whole towns " from New England, who sought to
" escape from the unsupportable government " of
that province, and the religious persecutions -which
the intollerant majority inflicted on the minority.
But these advantages were not without their at-
tendant evils. They offered temptations to the
avaricious and unscrupulous fur traders, who insin-
uated themselves among the Indians in their re-
mote villages, to faciUtate the pursuit of their
vocation ; and provoked collisions between the
natives and the scattered Dutch planters, whose
unguarded cattle destroyed their unprotected corn-
fields. These encroachments, added to the harsh
and inconsiderate measures of Director Kieft, who
also, under instructions from certain of the Dutch
authorities, attempted to make the natives pay
tribute in corn, furs or wampum, for the pretend-
ed protection afforded them by the construction of
forts and maintainance of an armed force, soon
provoked the just resentment of the Indians, with
whom they had hitherto Uved on amicable terms,
and involved the colonists in a war with the
latter which continued, with some interruptions,
during the remainder of the Dutch occupancy,
and jeopardized the very existence of the colony.
These hostilities, which ravaged with merciless
hand the settlements about New Amsterdam and
in Ulster county, have only an indirect reference to
this county, which had not a single white settler
during the whole period of Dutch occupancy.
They involved, however, to some extent the native
tribes. In August, 1643, the Wappingers, with
whom the Dutch had had no dispute, were the
first to break the peace concluded April 22 of that
year, a peace suggested by the necessities of the
Indians, and gladly assented to by Director Kieft,
who was smarting under the humiliating reproaches
of his countrymen, whom his indiscretion and
cruelty had outraged. They attacked an open
boat, laden with four hundred beaver skins, en route
from Fort Orange to the Manhattans, and murdered
one of the crew. The booty thus acquired tempt-
ed others to make similar attacks on two other
boats, which were also overpowered; but in the
attempt to surprise a fourth the savages were re-
pulsed with a loss of six men. Nine white people
lost their lives in these encounters, and a woman
and two children were made captives. Numbers
of others were murdered about this time by Indians,
who came under the guise of friendship ostensibly
to warn the settlers of approaching danger.
46
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
Neither the Mahicans nor Wappingers took any
general part in the Esopus wars though nine of
the latter aided the Esopus Indians in the second
Esopus war. Both tribes were, however, repre-
sented by their chiefs in the intercessions with the
Dutch, in behalf of the Esopus Indians, and
participated in the negotiations by which those
wars were terminated. It was also a Wappinger
Indian who guided Capt. Krygier's forces in the
expedition which "virtually annihilated" the Esopus
Indians in 1663, and it was through the friendly offi-
ces of a Wappinger chief that some of the captives
taken by the Indians in the attack on Wiltwyck,
June 7, 1663, were restored. At a treaty of peace
concluded with certain tribes of the River Indians
March 6, 1660, by Peter Stuyvesant, the last of
the Dutch governors of New Amsterdam, who suc-
ceeded Director Kieft in that office, March 1 1, 1647,
Goethals, a Wappinger chief, " requested that the
Esopus savages should be included in the treaty."
But a treaty of peace with the latter was not
concluded till July 15, 1660. Eskryas alias Apie
and Ampumst represented the Mahicans, and
Isseschahya and Wisachganio, the Wappingers.
June 7, 1663, the Esopus Indians^ who, by an
unusual manifestation of friendship, had gained
the confidence of the inhabitants of the village of
Wiltwyck, (now Kingston,) made a sudden attack
on that village while the male portion of its inhab-
itants were at work in the fields. Twelve houses
were burned, and, with the exception of a new
uncovered barn, not a building was left standing
in the " new village." The loss in both villages
(Kingston and Hurley) was twenty-four killed,
eight severely wounded, and seventy missing, forty-
five of the latter of whom, principally women and
children, were taken into captivity, though most
of them were recaptured or ransomed.
A month after the occurrence of this tragedy,
(July 7, 1663,) two Wappinger Indians arrived at
the beleaguered fort at Wiltwyck with a deer and
some fish. Being distrusted, they were detained.
The next day five others came to inquire after
their brethren. Being assured that no harm should
befall them if they were friendly, they retired.
The elder of the two told the commandant the
same day that a party of twenty-eight Esopus
Indians (eight men, nine women and eleven child-
ren,) were living "back of Magdalen Island on
the main land in the rear of a cripple bush on the
east^side of Fort Orange river."* On the evening
* Magdalen Island is opposite the town of Red Hook, between the
upper and lower landing— Tivoli and Barrytown ; hence this incident
transpired In Red Hook.
of the ninth Sergeant Christian Niessen and Peter
Wolfertsen (Van Couwenhoven) with twenty sol-
diers and twelve Indians, were sent under the
guidance of the elder Wappinger Indian to sur-
prise them. The guide "led them astray and
missed the houses," thus preventing a surprise;
but they returned on the twelfth, having killed five
men and a woman, including the Esopus captain,
( Weldoverste,) whose hand they cut off and
brought with them. They routed the rest, and
plundered their huts, and brought back with them
a squaw and three children whom they captured,
and " nineteen blankets, nine kettles, a lot of
sewan and four muskets " as booty.
Efforts ensued to effect the release of the cap-
tives held by the Esopus Indians, and through the
friendly intercession of five Mohawk Indians were
partially successful. Tired with fruitless parle)dng
it was resolved to attempt their rescue by force.
After some delay occasioned by wet weather, and
the return without success of an expedition
designed for this purpose, Capt. Krygier set out on
the 3d of September with a force of one hundred
and twenty-five men, guided by the younger of the
Wappinger Indians detained on the 7th of July,
who was promised his liberty and a "cloth coat"
if he directed them "truly to the Esopus Indians."
Besides inflicting heavy losses on the Indians,
the expedition returned with twenty-three Christian
prisoners; and the following October their un-
finished fort, huts and crops were destroyed and
much booty secured. October seventh, after the
return of the latter expedition, a girl escaped from
her Indian captor, with whom she had cohabited,
and returned to the fort. November seventh
Peter Wolfertsen brought in two children whom
he received in exchange for a squaw and Indian
girl. He also brought two Wappingers, one a
chief, who engaged to return a Christian woman
who was detained by his tribe, having been bought
from an Esopus squaw, which he did on the thir-
teenth. On the fourteenth he was presented with
an "Esopus squaw and a little sucking infant,"
" also with two pieces of cloth in token of friend-
ship." He requested that the Dutch " should live
with him in friendship, which should be preserved
by him." He gave in token thereof a bow and
arrow, and said, " I will not make war against the
Dutch but live in peace with them." He further
promised to obtain from the Esopus Indians the
remaining prisoners held by them. On the twenty-
eighth he returned with a quantity of venison, and
said that, but for the misfortune of having " burnt
THE ENGLISH OBTAIN CONTROL OF NEW NETHERLAND.
47
his buttock," he should have secured the captives.
Six of them, he said, "were together at the river
side," and the seventh — "Albert Heyman's oldest
daughter — he "gave ten fathom of sewan to an-
other Indian to look up." He promised positively
to restore all the Christian prisoners in three days,
" provided it did not blow too hard from the north ;
otherwise, he could not come before the fourth
day.'' Having sold his venison he departed. He
returned December 3d with two captive children,
saying, that, owing to absence and detention, he
had been unable to fulfill his promise in respect
to the remaining five. But he promised to renew
his efforts, and all, " except three," were subse-
quently recovered . *
A treaty of peace was concluded with the In-
dians, including the remnant of the Esopus tribe,
May 16, 1664, in which Tseessaghgaw, a chief of
the Wappingers, participated in behalf of that
tribe. This was the last treaty concluded by
Stuyvesant with the Indians; and though he
was impelled to it by the necessities of the
Dutch colonists, who were sorely harassed on every
hand, and contrary to instructions of the company
whose interests he represented, it put an end
to Indian hostilities in this State until the Revo-
lution.
Events were culminating which were destined to
terminate the occupancy of New Netherland by
the Dutch, who were menaced and their territorial
rights violated almost continually from the time
they took possession ; first by the Connecticut col-
onists upon the north and east, and later by the
Swedes and Marylanders on the Delaware. O'Cal-
laghan's commentary on the administration of Di-
rector Stuyvesant is not less appUcable to the whole
period during which the Dutch struggled to main-
tain a colony in America. It was, he says, " one
of trouble and anxiety. Discontents and broils
were its sponsors ; clamors and disaffections its
pall-bearers ; whilst scarcely an hour of its exis-
tence was free from menace and danger from its
neighbors, whether savage or civilized. Lacking
those impulses which filled other colonies so rap-
idly, whatever advantages the Dutch province pos-
sessed from nature were seriously counterbalanced
by the vicious system under which it was colonized,
and the institutions under which it was governed,
which would convert settlers into serfs, and by con-
stant petty intermeddling, hamper their exertions
and paralyze their energies. In no department
* jmrnal of the Second Esopus War, Doc. Hist. IV., 49-9S.
History of New Netherlaitd, II., 477-4831-
were these tjaleful influences more palpable than in
the settlement of the country."*
On the, 12th of March, 1664, Charles II. of
England, conveyed by patent to his brother James,
Duke of York, all the country from the River St.
Croix to the Kenebec, in Maine, also Nantucket,
Martha's Vineyard, and Long Island, together with
all the land from the west side of the Connecticut
River to the east side of Delaware Bay. The
Duke sent an English squadron, under Admiral
Richard NicoUs, to secure the gift, and on the 8th
of September following. Governor Stuyvesant ca-
pitulated, and the territory till then held by the
Dutch, passed into the hands of the English, who
changed the name . of New Amsterdam to New
York. The victory was an easy one, for restricted
in their rights and liberties, and desirous of enjoy-
ing the privileges accorded to the neighboring
English colonists, the Dutch settlers refused to
contest the supremacy, and Stuyvesant unsupport-
ed was obliged, though reluctantly, to yield. The
country thus surreptitiously acquired remained
in possession of the English till the Revolution,
except that, for a short period, it was again in pos-
session of the Dutch, who, being at war with Eng-
land, sent a small squadron which arrived at Staten
Island, July 30, 1673, and to this. Captain Man-
ning, who in the absence of Governor Lovelace
had command at New York, surrendered most in-
gloriously with but little effort at resistance. By
the treaty of peace concluded between the Dutch
and English in 1674, New Netherland was restored
to the English.
CHAPTER VII.
Titles to the Soil — Extinguishment of the In-
dian Title — ^Land Patents — How Acquired
AND Rights Conferred-Duchess County Land
Patents — Rombout Patent — Early and Dis-
paraging Estimate of the Value of its Lands
— Copy OF Indian Deed Therefor— Schuyler's
Patent — Great jor Lower Nine Partners'
Patent — Poughkeepsie Patent — Rhinebeck
Patent — Beekman Patent — I^ittle or Upper
Nine Partners' Tract — Oblong Patent —
Disputed Boundary Line Between New York
AND Connecticut — The Oblong Granted to
English and American Patentees — Defective
Titles -Anti- Rent Difficulties.
THE Indian title to lands within Duchess
County was extinguished at different times
by various individuals to whom they were patented,
* History of New Neikerland, II., 539.
48
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
or by whom they were subsequently acquired, and
it is a congratulatory fact that in this acquisition
no injustice was inflicted on the natives, who
received satisfactory remuneration for their fair
possessions. In this respect it presents a contrast
as marked as gratifying with the adjoining county
of Putnam, which formerly belonged to Duchess,
in which Philipsburgh, which was patented to Fred-
erick Philipse, April i, 1680, was the subject of a
long and bitter controversy, but out of which jus-
tice to the red man was never evolved.
During the Dutch regime, lands were sometimes
granted in the colony without the formalities of
Indian purchase. Not until 1650, we believe, were
any measures taken to regulate the purchase of
Indian lands. It had then become necessary,
owing to the disposition manifested by several in-
dividuals to acquire large tracts of wilderness, not
with a view to improvement, but for speculative
purposes. May 24, 1650, all persons were forbid-
den to buy land from the natives without the con-
sent of the Director and Council, on pain of for-
feiture. The titles derived from the Dutch Gov-
ernment were confirmed by the English when they
succeeded to the possession of the country in 1664.
The third article of the terms of capitulation stipu-
lated that "All people shall continue free denizens,
and shall enjoy their lands, houses, goods, where-
soever they are within this country, and dispose of
them as they please." The English Government
also adopted similar provisions with respect to the
acquisition of Indian lands. In January, 1665, a
law was passed, requiring the approval and signa-
ture of the Governor to all deeds of lands purchased
from the Indians, in order to render the titles
valid. This was necessary, as the Indians fre-
quently sold the same tract of land to different in-
dividuals.
" Purchases from the Indian natives, as of their
aboriginal right, have never been held to be a legal
title in this province," says Governor Tryon, in his
report to the Captain General and Governor-in-
Chief of the Province of New York, in 1774, "the
maxim obtaining here, as in England, that the
King is the fountain of all real property, and from
this source all titles are to be derived."
Patents for lands were generally issued by the
Colonial Government under the great seal of the
Province, pursuant to the powers conferred on the
Governors. "It was customary," says French, "to
apply to the Governor and Council for leave to
purchase. If granted, a treaty was held and an
Indian deed obtained, a warrant was issued to the
Surveyor General for a survey, and the map and
field notes were reported. The Attorney General
was then directed to prepare a draft of a patent,
which was submitted to the Governor and Council,
and, if approved, was engrossed upon parchment,
recorded, sealed and issued. The fees incident to
procuring a patent were important sources of rev-
enue to the officers concerned. Only one thous-
and acres could be granted to one person ; but this
rule was evaded by associating great numbers of
merely nominal parties ; and the officers through
whose hands the papers passed were often largely
interested in the grants. The Colonial Govern-
nient in this respect became exceedingly corrupt,
and stood greatly in need of a reform like that
wrought by the Revolution. * * * The grants
were 'in fee and common socage ' * * * and
included with the land all 'hoifees, messuages, ten-
ements, erections, and buildings, mills, mill-dams,
fences, inclosures, gardens, orchards, fields, pas-
tures, common of pastures, meadows, marshes,
swamps, plains, woods, underwoods, timber, trees,
rivers, rivulets, runs, streams, water, lakes, ponds,
pools, pits, brachen, quarries, mines, minerals, (gold
and silver [wholly or in part] excepted,) creeks,
harbors, highways, easements, fishing, hunting and
fowling, and all other franchises, profits, commodi-
ties, and appurtenances whatsoever.' This enumer-
ation of rights, more or less varied, was embraced
in all land patents. Colonial grants were usually
conditioned to the annual payment of a quitrent,
at a stated time and place named in the patent.
This payment was sometimes due in money, and
often in wheat or other commodity. Others were
conditioned to the payment of the skins of animals
or a merely nominal article, as simply an acknowl-
edgment of the superior rights of the grantors.
The quitrents formed an important source of rev-
enue, and, after the Revolution, became due to the
State. In 1786, it was provided that the lands
subject to these rents might be released upon pay-
ment of arrears, and fourteen shiUings to every
shilling of the annual dues. Large amounts of
land upon which arrears of quitrents had accumu-
lated were sold from time to time ; and laws con-
tinued to be passed at frequent intervals for the
regulation of these rents until 1824, when an act
was passed for the final sale of all lands which had
not been released by commutation or remitted by
law. Such lands as then remained unredeemed
were allowed to be released by payment of $2.50
to each shilling sterling due. The last sale took
place in March, 1826. The arrears for quitrents,
THE ROMBOUT PATENT.
49
then amounting to $53,380, were in 1819 taken
from the general fund and given in equal portions
to the Literature and School Funds." *
Under these provisions all the lands in Duchess
County were taken up in large tracts, less than a
dozen in number, by individuals who undertook
" to settle, build up, and cultivate the new coun-
try," and let them, wholly or in part, for a term of
years, at a nominal rent, or merely for the payment
ol the taxes.
The first tract of land granted within the present
limits of Duchess County was the Rombout Patent,
which embraces the present towns of Fishkill, East
Fishkill. and Wappinger, the westerly part of La
Grange, and nine thousand acres within the south-
ern limits of the town of Poughkeepsie. For this
immense tract, covering eighty-five thousand acres,
the patentees were required to pay to the Gover-
nor, "six bushels of good and merchantable winter
wheat every year ; but; if tradition speaks truly,
even that might then have been regarded as ample
compensation ; for it is said that some of the
Dutch burghers from Ulster came over to see the
country, but returned and reported that the land
was not worth crossing the river for.f
February 8, 1682, Governor Thomas Dongan
gave Francis Rombout and Gulian Ver Planck a
Ucense to purchase the above named tract of the
Wappinger Indians. The purchase was consum-
mated and the native title extinguished August 8,
1683, and a patent issued therefor October 17,
1685 ; but prior to the latter date Ver Planck died ;
hence Stephanus VanCourtlandt became associated
with Rombout, and Jacobus Kipp became the rep-
resentative of Ver Planck's children. The follow-
ing copy of the Indian deed for this tract, which
Ruttenber says is the only "perfect transfer title on
record," of the possessions of the Wappingers, is
recorded on page 72, vol. 5, Book of Patents. It
is an interesting document, and no apology is
needed for its introduction here. We cheerfully
acknowledge our indebtedness for it to the Histor-
ical Sketch of the Town of Fishkill, by Mr. T. Van
Wyck Brinkerhotr, of East Fishkill, published in
the Directory of that town for 1866 : —
"To ALL CHRISTIAN PEOPLE to whom this
Present Writeing shall Come, Sackoraghkigh
for hiraselfe, and in the name of Megriesken,
Sachem of theWappinger Indians, Queghsjehapaein,
Niessjawejahos, Queghout, Asotews, Wappegereck,
Nathindaeniw, Wappappee, Ketaghkainis, Meak-
haghoghkan, Mierham, Peapightapeieuw, Queghi-
* Gazetteer of New York, 46, note. See also New A merican Cyclo-
pedia, I., 668, under head o{ ArUi-Xent,
t Poughkeepsie Weekly Eagle, July 8, 1876.
taeuw, Minesawogh, Katariogh, Kightapiuhogh,
Rearowogh, Meggrek, Sejay, Wienangeck, Maene-
manew, and Ginghstyerem, true and Lawful Own-
ers and Indian proprietors of the Land herein
menchoned, send Greeting, KNOW YEE — that for
and in Consideracon of a Certain Sume or Quantity
of Money, Wampum, and diverse other Goods in
a Schedull hereunto Annexed Perticularly Men-
coned and Expered to them the said Indians, in
Hand Payed by Mr. ffrancis Rumbouts and Gulyne
Ver Planke, both of the Citty of New York, Mer-
chants, the Receipt whereof they, the said Indians,
Doe hereby Acknowledge, and therewith ownes
themselves to be fully payed, Contented and Sat-
tisfied, and thereof of every Parte and Parcell, Doe
hereby Acquitt, Exonerate and Discharge them, the
said ffrancis Rumbouts and Gulyne V. Planke,
their Heires and Assignes, have Given, Granted,
Bargained, Sold, Aliened, Enfoeffed, and Con-
firmed, and by these Presents Doe fully Cleerly
and Absolutely Give, Grant, Baigaine, Sell and
Alien, Enfeoffe, and Confirme unto the said Fran-
cis Rumbout and Gulyne Ver Planke, All that
Tract or Parcell of Land Scituate, Lyeing and be-
ing on the East side of Hudson's River, at the
north side of the High Lands, Beginning from the
South side of A Creek Called the fresh Kill, and
by the Indians Matteawan, and from thence North-
ward along said Hudson's River five hund"* Rodd
bejond the Great Wappins Kill, called by the In-
dians Mawenawasigh, being the Northerly Bounds,
and from thence into the Woods fouer Houers goe-
ing,* alwayes Keeping five hund^ Rodd Distant
from North side of said Wapinges Creeke, however
it Runns, as alsoe from the said fresh Kill or Creeke
called Matteawan, along the said fresh Creeke into
the Woods att the foot of the said High Hills, in-
cluding all the Reed or Low Lands at the South
side of said Creeke, with an Easterly Line, fouer
Houers going into the Woods, and from thence
Northerly to the end of the fouer Houers Goeing or
Line.Drawne att the North Side of the five hund^
Rodd Bejoyond the Create Wappinger Creek or
Kill called Mawenawasigh, together with all the
Lands, Soyles, Meadows, both fresh and Salt, Pas-
tures, Commons, Wood Land, Marshes, Rivers,
Rivoletts, Streames, Creekes, Waters, Lakes, and
whatsoever else to the said Tract or Parcell of
Land within the Bounds and Limitts aforesaid is
Belonging, or any wise Appurteining, without any
Reservacon of Herbage, Trees or any other thing
Growing or Being thereupon, To have and to hold
said Tract or Parcell of Land, Meadow, Ground,
and Primisses, with their and every of their Appur-
tennces, and all the Estate, Right, Title, Interest,
Clayme and Demand of them the said Indian Pro-
prietors and each and every of them, of, in, and to,
the same, and Every Parte thereof, unto them the
* In a tripartite indenture between Catharyna Brett, '^of Fishkill,"
"daughter and sole heir of Francis Rombout, late of the city of New
York, deceased," of the first part, George Clarke, Sec'y of the Province
of New York, of the second part, and Cornelius Van Wyck, of Hemp-
stead, Queens county, yeoman, of the third part, dated April 10, 1735,
and recorded in the Clerk's office in Duchess county, these distances are
said to he equivalent to sixteen English miles.
so
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
said ffrancis Rumbout and Gulyne Ver Planke,
their Heires and Assignes, to the Sole and only
Proper use, Benefitt and Behoofe of them, the said
ffrancis Rumbout and Gulyne Ver Planke, their
Heires and Assignes for Ever, And they the said
Indians Doe for themselves and their Heires and
every of them Covenant, Promise and Engage that
the said ffrancis Rumbout and Gulyne Ver Planke,
their Heires and Assignes, shall and may from
henceforth for ever Lawfully, Peaceably, and
Quettly have, hold, Possesse, and Enjoye the said
Tract or Parcell of Land, and all and Singuler
other the Primisses, with their Appertences without
any Lett, Hindrance, or Interrupcon whatsoever of
or by them, the said Indians^ Proprieters or their
Heires, or of any other Person or Persons whatso-
ever clayming or that hereafter shall or may Clayme
by, from, or under them, or Either of them. And
that they shall and will, upon reasonable Re-
quest and Demand made by the said Francis
Rumbouts and Gulyne Ver Planke, Give and De-
liver Peaceably and Quiettly Possession of the said
Tract or Parcell of Land and Primisses, or of some
Parte thereof, for and in the Name of the whole,
unto such Person or Persons as by the said ffrancis
Rumbout and Gulyne Ver Planke, shall be Appoint-
ed to Receive the same. In witness whereof, the said
Sackoraghkigh, for himselfe and in the Name of
Megriskar, Sachem of Wappinger Indians, Quegh-
sjehapeieuw, Niessjawejhos, Queghout, Asotewes,
Wappegereck, Nathindaew, Wappape, Ketagh-
kanns, Meakaghoghkan, Mierhara, Peapithapaeuw
Queghhitaeuw, Memesawogh, Katariogh, Kighta-
pinkog, Rearawogh, Meggiech, Sejay, Wienangeck.
Maenemaeuw, Guighstierm, the Indian Owners
and Proprietors afores'^, have hereunto sett their
Hands and Seales in N. Yorke, the Eighth Day of
August, in the 3Sth Yeare of his Mat'^ Reigne,
Anno DoTO, 1683.
"Themarkeof \ SAKORAGHUCK, [l.s.J
"The marke of X QUEGHSJEHAPAEIN, [l. s.]
" Signed Sealed and Delivered
in the psen of us
"Antho. BrockhoUs,
" P. V. Courtlandt,
" John West.
"The marke of CLAES the Indian X Inter.
[VERITE.1
"The marke of a MERHAM, [l. s.]
" The marke of & PEAPIGHTAPAEW, [l. s 1
"The marke of 7 QUEGHHITAEMW, [l. sf
" The marke of 8 MEINESAWOGH, [l. s ]
" The marke of O KOTARIOGH, [l. s.]
" The marke of 3 KIGHTAPINKOJH, [l. s 1
" The marke of-< REAROWOGH, [l. s.]
" The marke of 9 MEGGENKSEJAY, [l s 1
"The marke ofu WIENARGECK, [l. s.]
" The marke of O M AENEMANEW, [l s 1
"Themarkeof 2 GUIGHSTJEREM, [l. si
"The marke of (- KETAGHKANNES, Vl s.I
" The marke of V MEAKHAJH, [l. s 1
'i,The marke of O OGHKAN, [l. s.]
" The marke of X NIESSJAWETAHOS, Tl s 1
"The marke of X QUEJHOUT, [l. s.]
The marke of X SJOTEWES, [l. s.]
The marke of X WAPPEGERECK, [l. s.J
The marke of X NATHINDAEUW, [l. s.]
"The marke of X WAPPAPE, [l. s.]
" A ScheduU or Perticuler of Money, Wampum
and other goods Paid by ffrancis Rumbout and
Gulyne Ver Planke for the purchase of the Land
in the Deed hereunto annexed.
" One hund"! Royalls, One hund'^ Pound Pow-
der, Two hund"^ fathom of White Wampum, one
hundd Barrs of Lead, One hundred fathom of
black Wampum, thirty tobacco boxes ten hoU a
dges, thirty Gunns, twenty Blankets, forty fathom
of DuffiUs, twenty fathom of stroudwater Cloth,
thirty Kittles, forty Hatchets, forty Homes, forty
Shirts, forty p stockins, twelve coates of R. B. & b.
C, ten Drawing Knives, forty earthen Juggs, forty
Bottles, forty Knives, fouer ankers rum, ten halfe,
fatts Beere, two hunda tobacco Pipes, &c., Eighty
Pound Tobacco.
" New York? August the 8th, 1683.
" The above Perticulers were Delvered to the
Indians in the Bill of Sale Menconed in the psence
of us
"Antho: Brockhalls,
" P. V. Courtlandt,
"John West.
"I do hereby certify the aforegoing to be a true
copy of the Original Record, compared therewith
by me.
" Lewis A. Scott, Secretary."
Schuyler's Patent, granted by Governor Thomas
Dongan to Col. Peter Schuyler, June 2, i688,
consisted of two tracts; "one near Maghdalen's
Island," embraced in the present town of Red
Hook ; the other, apparently, corresponding with
that portion of the Rombout Patent lying north of
Wappinger's Creek, in the present town of Pough-
keepsie,* and thus described on page 278, Bool^A
of Deeds in the clerk's office in Poughkeepsie : —
" Scituate, Lying and being on ye East side of
Hudson's River in Dutches county at A Certaine
Place Caled ye Long Reach Slenting Over Against
Juffrow's Hook f At a Place Called the Rust Plaest.t
Runs from Thence East Ward into the wood to A
Creek Caled by The Indians Pietawickquasick
Knowne by the Christians for Jan Casperses Creek
* See Sauthier's Map, 1779.
t "Jeffrows " or "Jeflroos Hook " is on the west bank of the Hudson,
opposite the south part of the city of Poughkeepsie.
t ' ' Rust Plates Kill " empties into the Hudson on the east side, nearly
opposite Jeffrows Hook. April 3, 1741, Johannis Van Kleeck, aged te
years, and Myndert Van Den Bogart, aged about 60, both of Poughkeep-
sie Precinct, being duly sworn declared "that the Rust place (which
Bounds Mr. Henry Van Den Burgh & Compy. on the north, and Myn-
dert Harmse & Company on the south, according To a Deed Given them
by Coll. Peter Schuyler, which lays and is on ye East Side of Hudson's
River Slanting over against Juffrows Hook and Lays in Poghkeepsie
Precinct,) • * • is the only rust place and which was m^ant in said
Schuyler's Deed and that there is no other in said pattent." Both Van
Kleeck and Van Den Bogart said they had known the " Rust place " to
be called by that name for fifty years before.— Book A, Deeds, Clerk's
Office, Poughkeepsie.
NINE PARTNERS, POUGHKEEPSIE, RHINEBECK AND BEEKMAN PATENTS. 51
Northwarde to a Water fall where the Saw Mill
belonging to Myndert Harmense * * * Stands
Upon and so Southwarde Alongst Hudsons River
Aforesaid to said Rust Plaest."
The latter tract was conveyed by Schuyler to
Robert Saunders and Myndert Harmense August
30, 1699; but both tracts were for many years in
possession of Henry Beekman, probably as a lease-
holder, as appears from the following document : —
"Received of Henry Beekman fifty Two Bush-
ells of wheat which added to the former payments
makes the amount of three hundred and seventy
Bushells of wheat being the arrears of thirty two
years Due to his Majastie to the year one thousand
seven hundred Twenty five for Quit rent of a
Patent Granted 1688 June ye 2d to Coll. Peter
Schuyler Laying in Dutchess County Consisting of
Two Tracts of Lands the one near Maghdalens
Island and the other at the Long reatch on the
South Side of A Place Called Poghkeepsie which
quantity of three hundred and seventy Bushels of
wheat I aknowledge to have Red. in full for the
above said Patent.
"Witness my hand this 4th of Octr 1727.
"Archd. Kennedy
" Recr. Genii.
"New York Octobr nth 1727.
"Archibald Kenedy Esqr. Receiver Generall of
the province of New York having appeared before
me Lewis Morris Junr. Esqr. one of his Majesties
Councill of the Province of New York and ac-
knowledged the within Receipt to be his act and
Deed and I haveing Examined the same allow it
may be Recorded. Lewis Morris Junr.*
The Nine Partners' Patent (Great or Lower) was
granted by Gov. Benjamin Fletcher, May_27, 1697,
to Col. Caleb Heathcote, Major Augustus (or Au-
gustin) Graham, James Emott, Lieut.-Col. Henry
Filkins, David Jamison, Hendryck Ten Eyck, John
Aaretson, WiUiam Creed and Jarvis Marshall, nine
men of wealth and influence. It embraced the
present towns of Clinton, Pleasant Valley, Stan-
ford and Washington, except a small strip along
the north border of CUnton and Stanford, that por-
tion of Hyde Park south and east of Crum Elbow
Creek, and Amenia and the southern part of North
East, except the Oblong, which was afterwards de-
fined. Its boundaries are thus defined in deeds
derived from it : —
"A Tract of Vacant Land Situate, Lying and
Being on Hudson's River in Dutchess County.
Bounded on the west by the said Hudson River
Between the Creek called Fish Creek [Crum
Elbow ?] at the marked Trees of pauUng (Includ-
ing the said Creeke) and the Land of Myndert
Harmensen & Company then Bounded southerly
by the Land of said Myndert Harmense and com-
pany as far as their bounds goes then westerly by
* Book A, Deeds, Clerk's Office, Poughkeepsie.
the Land of the said Harmense and untill a south-
erly Hne runs so far south untUl it comes to the
south side of a certain Meadow wherein there is a
White Oak Tree markt with the Letters H. T. then
southerly by an east and west Line to the Division
Line between the province of New York and the
colony of Connecticut and so Easterly to the said
Division Line and Northerly by the aforesaid Fish
Creeke as far as it goes and from the head of said
Creeke by a parallel line to the south Bounds east
and west Reaching the aforesaid Division Line."
The tract was divided into thirty-six principal
lots and nine " water lots," the latter fronting upon
the Hudson. The lots varied in size according to
the quality of the land, but were nearly equal.
The Poughkeepsie Patent, embracing the major
portion of the town of Poughkeepsie, was granted
to Henry Ten Eyck and eight others, by Governor
Benjamin Fletcher, May 7, 1697.
The Rhinebeck Patent, embraced within the
Umits of the towns of Rhinebeck and Red Hook,
was granted to Henry Beekman, June 8, 1703.
The Beekman Patent, which comprised the towns
of Beekman and Unionvale, the easterly portion
of LaGrange, and Dover and Pawling, except the
Oblong, was granted to Henry Beekman, June 25,
1703.
The Little or Upper Nine Partner^ Patent was
granted April 10, 1706, to Samson Broughton, Rip
Van Dam, Thomas Wenham, Roger Mompesson,
Peter Fauconier, Augustin Graham, Richard
Sackett and Robert Lurting, and comprised the
towns of Milan and Pine Plains, the north half of
North East, and the small portions of Clinton and
Stanford not covered by the Great Nine Partners'
Patent. It was bounded as follows : —
" Beginning at the North Bounds of the Lands
And then lately purchased by said Richard Sackett
in Dutchess county, and runs thence South Easterly
by his north bounds to Wimposing thence by the
mountains southerly to the south east corner of
the said Sackett's Land and thence Easterly to the
Colony Line of Connecticut and thence Northerly
by the said colony Line and Wiantenuck River to
the south bounds of lands purchased by John
Spragg &c. at Owissetanuck thence westerly by
the said purchase as it runs to the south-west cor-
ner thereof thence to the Manner of Livingston
and by the south bounds thereof unto the lands
purchased and patented to Coll. Peter Schuyler
over against Magdelons Island and so by the said
purchase and patent To the patent of Coll. Beek-
man for Land Lying over against Clyne Esopus Fly
and thence by the said Land to the said south east
corner and thence to the place where it begun."
This tract was confirmed by Queen Anne to the
above named patentees September 25, 1708; and
in 1734, the Colonial Assembly-passed a law author-
52
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
izing its partition. A deed for three hundred acres
of this tract, given October 20, 1740, by Richard
Sackett, Richard Sackett, Jr., and John Sackett to
Johann Tise Smith, recites that "some native
Indians of said county [Duchess] and there re-
siding lay claim to some part of the above demised
and granted premises." This has reference doubt-
less to the Shekomeko Indians.
The Oblong Patent covers a tract of land, named
from its figure, and extends in a narrow strip along
the east borders of Duchess, Putnam and Westches-
ter counties. It contains 61,440 acres, and was
ceded to the State of New York as an equivalent
for lands on the sound, eight by twelve miles in
extent, surrendered by that State to Connecticut.
It was originally called the " Equivalent land," and
is so referred to in colonial documents.
The boundary line between New York and Con-
necticut has been in dispute from an early period
in the Dutch Colonial history. An effort to adjust
this difficulty was made at Hartford, Sept. 19, 1650,
by Commissioners representing the United English
Colonies and New Netherland. It was then agreed
that " the bounds upon the main " should " begin
at the west side of Greenwich Bay, being about
four miles from Stamford, and so to run a northerly
line twenty miles up into the country, and after as
it shall be agreed by the two governments, * * *
provided that the said line come not within ten
miles of Hudson River." The Dutch were pro-
hibited from building thereafter " any house or
habitation within six miles of the said Une." The
inhabitants of Greenwich were to remain under
the government of the Dutch till further considera-
tion was had ; and the Dutch were to " hold and
enjoy all the lands in Hartford that they [were]
actually possessed of; " while the remainder of
the lands on both sides of the Connecticut were
to remain in possession of the English.
But that agreement was by no means preserved
inviolate. The encroachments of the Connecticut
colonists proved one of the most serious problems
that vexed the Dutch colonial administration.
When the EngUsh superseded the Dutch in 1664,
they had extended their settlements on the sea
coast to within ten miles of the Hudson ; and as
they desired to retain their connection with the
Connecticut government, with which their sympa-
thies and associations brought them into close
affiUation, an effort was made in that year to adjust
the boundary in harmony with those wishes, and
with due regard to the claims of the Duke of York.
Commissioners were appointed by Charles II., of
England, who determined on a line parallel with
the Hudson and twenty miles distant from it on
the east, " reserving, however, to Connecticut, the
settlements actually made, though within less than
ten miles from Hudson's River, for which they were
to allow an equivalent in the inland parts, where
they had no settlements. By this equivalent the
distance between Hudson's River and the colony
of Connecticut in the upper parts is about twenty-
two miles."
The line thus agreed upon " being considered as
fraudulent, or erroneous," and having given rise to
a dispute respecting the right of government over
the towns of Rye and Bedford, in Westchester
county, another agreement was concluded Novem-
ber 28, 1683, between Colonel Thomas Dongan,
Governor of New York, in behalf of the Duke of
York, on the one side, and Governor Robert Treat,
Major Nathaniel Gold, Captain John Allyn and
WilUam Pitkin, of Connecticut, on the other. The
line then determined on commences at "Lyons
Point," on the east bank and at the mouth of By-
ram River, and proceeds thence " one mile and a
half and twenty rods," " as the said river runneth
to the place where the common road or wading
place over the said river is ;" thence " north north-
west into the country" six and a half miles, "to a
point eight miles distant from Lyons Point;"
thence eastward twelve miles in the general direc-
tion of the Sound and eight miles distant from it ;
thence twelve miles north north-west ; and thence
" parallel to Hudson's River in every point, twenty
miles distant from the river, so far as the Con-
necticut colony doth extend northwards." It was
provided that, if these bounds encroached upon
lands within twenty miles of the Hudson, a strip
should be taken from Connecticut, east of and ex-
tending the whole length of the line running par-
allel with the river, of such width as would make
an equivalent compensation therefor. The towns
of Rye and Bedford were adjudged by the latter
commission to be subject to the New York govern-
ment. By a survey made in 1684, it was deter-
mined that the line running parallel with the Sound
would, if prolonged "one mile and sixty-four rods,"
reach a point "twenty miles distant from the Hud-
son, and that the oblong of eight by twelve miles
diminished " sixty- one thousand four hundred
and forty acres from the twenty miles from Hud-
son's River ;'' therefore a strip " three hundred and
five rods" in width was annexed on the line run-
ning parallel with the Hudson, which was deemed
to extend one hundred miles from the terminus of
DISPUTE OVER THE NEW YORK AND CONNECTICUT BOUNDARY LINE. 53
the eight mile line.* This agreement was respected
till the beginning of the year 1697, when, as ap-
pears by a letter from Governor Fletcher, dated
June 22, 1697, the towns of Rye and Bedford "re-
volted from New York to Connecticut," "to avoid
the payment of some arrears of taxes ;" and Con-
necticut having " owned them as members of that
colony," the execution of a writ for the election of
a Representative to the General Assembly of New
York, was " disturbed at Rye in a hostile man-
ner." It became necessary therefore to apply to
the EngUsh Crown for a confirmation of the agree-
ment, which was given March 28, 1700.
"Nineteen years afterwards," says Smith, "a
probationary act was passed, empowering the Gov-
ernor to appoint commissioners, as well to run the
line parallel to Hudson's River, as to re-survey
the other lines and distinguish the boundary. The
Connecticut agent opposed the King's confirma-
tion of this act, toHs viribus ; but it was approved
on the 23d of January, 1723. Two years after,
the commissioners and surveyors of both colonies
met at Greenwich, and entered first into an agree-
ment relating to the method of performing the
work. The survey was immediately after executed
in part, the report being dated on the 12th of May,
1725 ; but the complete settlement was not made
till the 14th of May, 1731, when indentures, certi-
fying the execution of the agreement in 1725, were
mutually signed by the commissioners and survey-
ors of both colonies. At this time the tract' known
as the Oblong was ceded to New York as an equiva-
leiit for the lands near the Sound, the peaceable
possession of which Connecticut had enjoyed during
all the intervening years."
"The manner of setting off this strip," says a
writer in the Poughkeepsie Eagle, of recent date,
"was the main cause of later disputes, as instead of
running a new line where the boundary was to be,
and marking it with suitable monuments, the sur-
veyors ran the old line on the west side of the
'Oblong' to be set off, and every two miles made
offsets toward the east, of such distance as to make
the oblong contain the required number of acres.
In making these offsets, measuring as they had to
through an unbroken wilderness, through swamps
and over mountains, hardly two of the lines were
of equal length, and as a result the line, instead
of being straight as was intended, bowed into
Connecticut. * * * At the time this line was
determined on it made very little difference whether
it bowed into Connecticut or New York, as the
territory was entirely wild and unsettled, and
is so largely even to the present day, but as settle-
ments increased and the stone heaps that had been
* The width of the oblong is 580 rods. Frenches State Gazetteer^
Z69, note.
piled up for monuments and the trees which had
been marked began to disappear, disputes again
arose which no one had authority to settle ; so in
185 s, another effort was made to obtain a final
settlement of the vexed question ; and Hon. Ben.
Field, Samuel D. Backus and Jonathan Tarbell
were appointed Commissioners on the part of this
State, and Hon. Wm. H. Holly and Jason Whiting
on the part of Connecticut for that purpose. These
Commissioners made a survey from the Sound
north to the point where the ceded territory to
New York began, from which point the Connecti-
cut Commissioners insisted a straight line should
be run to the Massachusetts line, while the New
York Commissioners insisted it should run through
the old monuments as far as they could be ascer-
tained. Various efforts were made at compromise,
but nothing was effected, and the commission was
finally dissolved. In 1859 another effort was made,
and new Commissioners appointed by both sides,
consisting of Isaac Piatt, Jacob Vroman and Lean-
der D. Brown, on the part of New York, and Oliver
A. Perry, Joseph R. Hawley and Phihp D. Bebee,
on the part of Connecticut. This commission in
1859 held many meetings and made sufficient
examination of the line to convince them that the
old monuments could be found in almost every in-
stance, but the Connecticut Commissioners still in-
sisted on the straight Une, with slight modification,
while the New York Commissioners insisted on the
old line as far as practicable. One of the principal
bones of contention was the village of Amenia
Union in this county, the Main street of which had
been considered the boundary line from time
immemorial, and which village the straight line
would have put entirely in Connecticut. At one
time the Connecticut Commissioners conceded so
much as to agree to still call this street the line,
and run from the north end of it straight to the
Massachusetts line, and from the south straight to
the southern end of the oblong, but that was not
accepted by New York.''
"Finding all efforts at agreement futile, the
Legislature in i860 passed a law directing the New
York Commissioners, if, after further suitable
efforts, no agreement should be reached, to proceed
alone to survey and mark the line, and this was
done during the summer and fall of i860, the line
running through the old monuments so far as they
could be ascertained, its position being marked at
road crossings and angles with suitable monuments
of marble or granite. Their work was approved
by the Legislature of this State, and generally
54
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
acceded to by the people of Connecticut ; still it
was not formally adopted by that State, and was
not considered a legal line, although it was so de-
cided by several suits in this State."
"Thus matters rested for twenty years, until last
year, when another commission consisting of Allen
C. Beach, Secretary of the State ; Augustus
Schoonmaker, Attorney General, and Horatio Sey-
mour, Jr., State Engineer, on the part of New
York, and Origen S. Seymour, Lafayette S. Foster
and William T. Minor, on the part of Connecticut,
were appointed to finally settle the subject, if pos-
sible. This Commission * * * agreed in
favor of the line as surveyed and established in
i860, and their action has been ratified by this
State and we believe also by Connecticut."
May 15, 1731, a patent designed to convey the
whole of the Oblong Tract, was granted in London
to Sir Joseph Eyles, Jonathan Perrie, John Drum-
mond and Thomas Watts. June 8, 1731, a patent
for the greater part of the same tract was granted
by the Colonial government to Thomas Hawley
and others. The EngUsh patentees brought a bill
in chancery to repeal the latter ; but the defend-
ants filed an answer containing so many objec-
tions against the EngHsh patent that the suit
was for some time unprosecuted. The American
patentees maintained possession, though the con-
troversy was only terminated by the war of the
Revolution.
May 31, 1733, in conformity with the petition of
the English patentees, the Oblong was annexed to
the contiguous counties in this State. December
17, 1743, South, Beekmans, Crom Elbow and
North Precincts were extended across the tract
to the Connecticut Une; and March 9, 1774, the
patent was divided into lower, middle and upper
districts, to faciUtate the collection of quitrents.
Many of the old patents to lands were very
defective, and led to much controversy and litiga-
tion. The Poughkeepsie patent, under which all
the owners here held their titles proved to be
fraudulent and the occupants finally kept their
farms solely by right of occupation. Some
of the others were very absurd and had to be
modified to prevent insurrection.* The want
of knowledge of the geography of the country led
to indefinite boundaries and ambiguous descrip-
tions thereof J it also favored the fraudulent prac-
tices of those who were sufficiently unscrupulous
to take advantage of it. A communication from
Hon. Cadwallader Colden, under date of June 9,
•Poughkeepsie Weekly Eagle, July 8, 1876, Col. Hist. IV., 391, 396.
1736, to Hon. George Clarke, President of the
Council of New York, who was " deeply interested
in large tracts of land," sufficiently indicates these
facts, and deprecates the practice of granting
patents in England, as tending to that confusion
which we have seen was occasioned by the con-
flicting patents for the Oblong. It says : —
" It is very difficult for the King's officers, who
live in the Province, to guard against frauds in
petitioning for lands described by natural limits,
such as brooks, hills, springs, &c., though actual
surveys be made previous to the grant, because the
names of such places being in the Indian tongue
are known to few Christians, so that the proprietors
afterwards are sometimes tempted to put those
names upon other places that they think more con-
venient for them, and it is impossible for the su-
perior officers to guard against the unfaithfulness
of those that they are under a necessity of em-
ploying in surveying landfe especially in remote
parts of the country. Now Sir, if it be so diffi-
cult for the officers who live on the spot to pre-
vent abuses, how much greater must it be at such
a distance as England is from us, where the situ-
ation of the parts of this Province is not in any
manner known, and how great will the temptations
be to attempt frauds. Indeed the common method
of obtaining grants of land in this country is at so
easy a rate that I can not think that any man in
this country would endeavor to obtain a grant in
England upon the usual quitrents unless he had
something private in view which he thought could
not be kept secret in this country. This method
of granting land in England if encouraged must of
course be of great prejudice to the settUng of the
country and the improving of the uncultivated
lands."*
During the latter half of the eighteenth century
a very large portion of the settled parts of this
State was held by patroons enjoying manorial
privileges, and the cultivators occupied these farms
on leases for one or more lives, or from year to
year, stipulating for the payment of rents, dues
and services, copied from the feudal tenures of
England and Holland. Almost every incident of
the tenures in socage and villenage were imposed
by contract upon the manorial tenants. Purvey-
ances, fines for alienation, and other similar con-
ditions, burdened most of the farmers.
Although Duchess county as at present bounded,
was not burdened with manorial patents, like the
adjoining county of Columbia, the counties of
Greene and Ulster on the opposite side of the
river, and other counties in the State, it was not
entirely free from the evils of the feudal system
which was transferred from Holland and England
and engrafted upon the soil of this State, nor
* Col. Hist. VI., 68.
THE FIRST SETTLER IN DUCHESS COUNTY.
55
from the violence which they engendered, though
the violence here was quite insignificant compared
with that which distressed other counties, in which
armed associations of anti-renters opposed the
legal authorities, provoked bloodshed, and finally
developed a poUtical party, through whose agency
the wrongs of the oppressed tenants were re-
dressed.
From an article in the Poughkeepsie Weekly
Eagle of July 8, 1876, we quote what is said in
respect to the disquieting influences of this move-
ment in this county : —
"The anti-rent war begun in Columbia county
in 1766,* in the refusal of settlers to pay rents
claimed by the original proprietors, and soon
spread into Duchess. William Pendergast, of Do-
ver or Pawling, was the leader of the dissatisfied
settlers in this county, and he gathered a band
under him who threatened to resist the payment by
force of arms. There was a small detachment of
British regular troops stationed at Poughkeepsie
and to enforce his authority the sheriff was com-
pelled to call on them. Finally a body of insur-
rectionists gathered on Quaker Hill, which was so
formidable that two hundred men and two field
pieces were sent from New York to re-inforce the
grenadiers at Poughkeepsie, and with this force the
outbreak was suppressed. Pendergast was taken
prisoner and brought here to be tried for high trea-
son. His defense was conducted by himself and
wife, the latter showing so much abiUty that the
Attorney General lost his temper and moved that
she be turned out of court, as she might too much
influence the jury. The motion was denied with
a sharp rebuke from the Judge ; but the jury found
Pendergast guilty and he was sentenced to be hung.
As soon as the result was announced, his wife, who
seems to have been a woman of extraordinary per-
severance and energy, started immediately for New
York to ask for a reprieve from the Governor until
the King could be heard from. How prompt and
efficient she was in what she undertook is shown by
the fact that she went to New York, saw the Gov-
ernor, got the reprieve, and returned in three days,
just in time to prevent an attenipt by his followers
to rescue him that would probably have resulted
unfavorably in the end. Such a woman could
hardly be expected to fail in what she undertook.
She followed up her success with an appUcation to
the King himself, and in six months a full pardon
came from George III., and Pendergast and his
noble wife went home amid great rejoicings."t
* A letter from Governor Hardy to the Lords of Trade, Dec. 21, 1756,
shows that violent opposition was manifested at that time by the. tenants
on Livingston Manor, and that Adam Rypenberger, a poor tenant of Mr.
Livingston's, who accompanied the sheriflF upon summons to eject a
tenant named Hendrick Brusies or Brusie, was shot. Cal. His. VII.,
lob.—Dac. His. Ill, 818.
t These disturbances occurred in 1766, and extended to what then con-
stituted the counties of Albany, Duchess and Westchester. They were
committed by an organization known as the * ' Sons of Liberty," and were
not quelled without bloodshed.— See Col. His. yil., 825, 84s, 846, 849,
867, 879.
CHAPTER VIII.
First Settlements — Traditions Respecting
Them — Projected Settlement of New Eng-
landers at the Mouth of Wappinger's Creek
— Nicholas Emigh Supposed to be the First
Settler — Settlements at Poughkeepsie and
Rhinebeck — The Palatines — Huguenot Set-
tlers— Environments of the Pioneer Set-
tlers — Progress of Settlement — First
Census of Duchess County, 17 14 — Freehold-
ers in Duchess County in 1740 — Descrip-
tions of the County in 1756 and 1813 —
Population of County at Different Periods
from 17 14 to 1880 — Present Status of the
County — Enrollment of Quakers in 1755 —
Slaves in Duchess County in 1755 — Early
Civil Processes — Oaths of Abjuration and
Fealty in 1760 — Observations on Duchess
County in 1780-82, by the Marquis De-
Chastellux.
AS the law provided that all lands not improved
or settled " in three years or some other
number of years " should return to the grantor, we
find that small beginnings were made in various parts
of the county soon after the issue of these patents
for lands. The precise date and location of the
first settlement is not definitely known. It is doubt-
ful if there were any settlements in the county
prior to the issuance of the Rombout Patent,
though tradition asserts that there were.f It is
said that the first settler was a man named Hoff-
man, who ran away from a Dutch ship of war in
New York Harbor, and found a resting place some-
where on Wappinger's Creek, where he married
and raised a family.f We may, doubtless, trace a
connection between this traditionary individual
and a Martinus Hoffman, whom we find endeavor-
ing to conciliate the Indians, one of whose num-
ber was shot by a white man at Rhinebeck, in 1 748.$
In French's State Gazetteer we find further refer-
* A writer in the Poughkeepsie Weekly Eagle of July 8, 1876, says :
'* There is evidence that some part of Dutchess county was occupied dur-
ing the rule of the Dutch Governor, Peter Stuyvesant, prior to 1664.
* * * In the history of the Esopus war with the Indians in 1663,
reference is made to Capt. Covenhoven, who lived among the Wappin-
gers." We have not been able to find such evidence. Covenhoven was,
indeed, an active participant in the Second Esopus War, and was sent to
release the prisoners captured by the Esopus Indians in the attack on
Wiltwyck. In the performance of the latter office he "lay several days near
the Wappinger Indians who acted as mediators in the affair ; " but we find
nothing to indicate that he ever settled among them. Benson J. Lossing,
LL.D., in Sketches of Local History, published in The Dutchess Farmer
of Dec. 12, 1876, says, when the county was organized, in 1683, ** there
were no white inhabitants on the domain."
\ Poughkeepsie Weekly Eagle, July 8, 1876.
X Col. Hist. VII, ISO.
56
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
ence to this individual, in the following copy of a
- letter, now in possession of T. Van Wyck Brinker-
hoff, of East Fishkill :—
" In the year 1833, 1 saw Isaac Upton, a coaster
from Newport, who informed me that about 1760
he came up the North River to Poughkeepsie, and,
in company with another person, went to Mabbitt's
store, in Washington, on business. That on their
return, they took a circuitous route from Pleasant
Valley, and passed a German by the name of
Hoffman, who was then 118 years old. He sup-
posed himself to be the first white settler in Duch-
ess county ; and that, when young, he deserted
from a Dutch ship of war in New York, squatted
where he then lived, built him a shanty, and lived
a number of years a solitary life without being able
to find a white woman for a wife ; that afterward,
finding a German family at Rhinebeck, he married,
and had lived where he then was to that advanced
age. I was informed that he died two years after-
ward, at 120 years. (Signed,) Paul Upton."
A settlement was projected in the county as
early as 1659, and had it been successful, would
doubtless have changed the preponderating charac-
ter of the early settlers. But it was destined to fail.
In that year, in consonance with the spirit of en-
croachment which more especially characterized
the settlers in Connecticut, Massachusetts claiming
under her charter the country north of the 42d° of
latitude from the Atlantic to the Pacific, granted " a
plantation in the neighborhood of Fort Orange, to
several persons of respectability residing within her
jurisdiction." With a view to locating this grant,
an exploring party proceeded during the summer
to Beverwyck, (Albany,) and after examining most
of the lands along the east bank of the Hudson,
they announced their intention to establish a vil-
lage near the mouth of Wappinger Creek, " where
the country, in point of beauty and fertility, sur-
passed anything they had seen in the East." As
this spot was a great distance from the settled
parts of New England, and difficult of access, in con-
sequence of the intervening wilderness, the project-
ors applied to the Dutch authorities for leave to
proceed thither by the North River. Director
Stuyvesant, foreseeing the injury which such an
establishment would work on the Dutch interests
in New Netherland, determined to anticipate their
project by purchasing the lands and establish
thereon a village of some twenty-five or thirty
families. He therefore wrote to the directors of
the Dutch West India Company, urging them to
send hither, by the first vessels, a colony of Polish,
Lutheran, Prussian, Dutch or Flemish peasants.
TLe Englishmen, in the meantime, obtained
from the commissioners of the United Colonies
letters to Director Stuyvesant, soliciting in th<
behalf the right of passage through the Hudso
Stuyvesant, not unmindful of the experience with
the Connecticut colonists on the Connecticut
River, determined to oppose a repetition of that
experience by all the means within his power.
Conscious of his inability to coerce compliance,
he sought to avert the misfortune by an explana-
tion of the reasons which impelled him to refuse.
These, however, did not satisfy the General Court
at Boston, for they immediately sent a deputation
" to communicate their honest intentions in this
matter, and to demonstrate the equity of the
motion of the commissioners in their behaf."
They asserted their intention to plant the land
about the upper waters of the Hudson, not actually
in possession of the Dutch, and affirmed that
permission to pass the Hudson should not preju-
dice the rights of the Dutch. A wordy encounter
ensued, during which Stuyvesant declared that he
could not grant the right of free passage through
their rivers to Massachusetts, nor any other govern-
ment, " without a surrender of their honor, repu-
tation, property and blood, their bodies and lives."
" Circumstances, however, interposed, and for a
moment interrupted the designs of the New Eng-
enders. A revolution restored monarchy to Eng-
land, and those of Boston abandoned, for the
time, the design of seizing on the North River."
The first settlement of which we have authentic
information was made in Fishkill, by Nicholas
Emigh or Eighmie, but authorities differ as to the
date of settlement. One author* says he came in
1682, " and bought a tract of land of the Indians,
but finding it already covered by a patent, he repur-;
chased of those holding it a portion of what is
known as the Clove, near the middle of the county,
where he settled and where some of , his descend-
ants still remain." Says Mr. Lossing, in Sketches
of Local History, before refererred to, Emigh (whose
father a native of Holstein on the borders of Hol-
land, had followed Prince RupeFt into England in
the time of the Civil War, and remained in Scot-
land,) came to this country in 1686, at the instance
of Robert Livingston, "a landless, but shrewd
adventurer from Scotland," who, in 1683, married
Alida, the young widow of Rev. Nicolaus Van
Rensselaer and daughter of Philip Pietersen Schuy-
ler, (the first of the Schuyler family who settled in
this country,) and with her money bought an im-
mense tract of land on the north border of''this
county, to which that portion lying west of Roelaff
*Pmgkkeepsie Weekly Eagle, July S, i«75.
EARLY SETTLEMENTS IN DUCHESS COUNTY.
57
Jansen's Creek, comprising the present towns of
Clermont and Germantown, formerly belonged.
Settlement under Robert Livingston, whose
family filled a conspicuous niche in our colonial and
revolutionary history, commenced prior to 1686,
but apparently made slow progress; for Earl
Bellomont, in a letter to the Board of Trade,
dated January 2, 1701, says of it : "Mr. Living-
ston has on his great grant of sixteen miles long
and twenty-four broad, but four or five cottagers,
as I am told ; men that live in vassalage under and
work for him and are too poor to be farmers,
having not wherewithall to buy cattle to stock a
farm." ,
Under such harsh conditions were the fortunes
of our pioneer settler — ^young Emigh — cast, and we
need not wonder that he became dissatisfied, and
left the Livingston domain. He bought an island
in the Hudson just below Albany and settled on it
with his young wife, a pretty Dutch lass from Hol-
stein, whom he courted and married on the long
ocean voyage to America. But there they were
drowned out the next spring by a Mohawk flood,
and removed to the site of Fishkill, where he
bought of the Indians a tract of land extending
from the Fishkill to Poughkeepsie, and from the
Hudson to the Connecticut line. Here also he
had, the misfortune to locate on land covered by
patent ; for the island on which he previously set-
tled, constituted a part of the Manor of Rensse-
laerwyck. He subsequently removed to, and pur-
chased of the patentees, a large tract of land in
the Clove, some of which is still in the possession
of his descendants.
During their residence in Fishkill his wife gave
birth to a daughter, who received the name of
Katrina, and was the first white child born in the
county. At maturity she married a young Hol-
lander named Lasink, (Lossing,) who moved up
from New York about 1700. The young couple
settled in the town of East Fishkill, where they
raised a family of eight children — four sons and
four daughters — who lived to a good old age, the
seven younger ones surviving the oldest, who died
when the youngest was seventy-five years old.
From this family descended the distinguished his-
torian Benson J. Lossing, LL. D., of Dover.
The settlements in Poughkeepsie and Rhinebeck
were nearly contemporaneous with those in Fishkill.
At Rhinebeck a considerable number of Palatines
had settled in the early part of the eighteenth cen-
tury. They, were German refugees from the banks
of the Neckar and the Rhine, who were hired of
the Elector of the Palatinate by Queen Anne, and
served in her army during the war of the Spanish
succession, 1702-1713. In 1709, the project of
establishing them in the English- American colonies
was broached; and in the summer of 17 10, a col-
ony numbering 2,227 arrived in New York, and
were located in five villages, on either side of the
Hudson, those upon the east side being designated
as East Camp, and those upon the west, as West
Camp. Three of these villages were located on
six thousand acres of land, which originally con-
stituted the town of Germantown, in Columbia
County, and were purchased of Robert Livingston
by Gov. Robert Hunter, Sept. 29, 17 10, because,
from the growth of pine timber they bore, they
were especially adapted to the industry in which it
was designed to employ the Palatines, viz : raising
hemp and making tar, pitch and resin for the royal
navy. The other two villages were located on the
opposite side of the river, in Ulster County, on
lands which were then unpatented. This little col-
ony received many marks of the kind care and
beneficence of Queen Anne, under whose special
patronage it was planted. The management of
their affairs was entrusted to a board of com-
missioners, consisting of Robert Livingston, Rich-
ard Sackett,* John Cast, Godfrey Walsen, Andrew
Bagger and Henry Schureman. The first settle-
ments commenced by small lodges or temporary
huts, each of which was placed under the superin-
tendence of some principal man, from whom they
took their local names, with the addition of dorf,
the German word for village. The names by which
they were officially known, however, were Anns-
berry, from Queen Anne ; Haysberry, after Lady
Hay, wife of Governor Hunter; Htmterstown,
after Gov. Hunter ; Queensberry, after the Queen,
&c. Their numbers in the respective villages May
I, 1711, were as follows: —
ON EAST SIDE.
Hunterstown 334
Queensberry 350
Annsberry 252
Haysberry 258
1194
ON WEST SIDE.
Ehzabethtown 148
Georgetown in
New Village 324
583
1777
* Richard Sackett was one of the patentees of the Little Nine Partners
Tract, and the pioneer settler of Amenia, where he located early in the
century.
S8
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
The enterprise, however, proved unsuccessful,
for the Palatines soon became restive under the
restraints imposed on them. They scattered, many
of them removing to the Mohawk and Schoharie
valleys, and some, as we have seen, to Rhinebeck.
The six thousand acre tract was subsequently
granted to those willing to remain on it, (for some
were restrained there against their wish,) in accord-
ance with the petition of Jacob S. Sharp and Chris-
tophel Hagadorn, in behalf of sixty-three famiUes
so inclined, to whom was secured the tracts on
which they had settled and made improvements, on
the payment of the usual quitrent. In 1718, these
Palatine farpiUes were distributed* as follows:—
ON EAST SIDE.
Hunterstown 25 families, 109 persons.
Kingsberry 33 " t04 "
Annsberry i? " 71
Haysberry 16 " 75 "
Rheinbeck 35 " 140 "
ON WEST SIDE.
New Town 14 families, 56 persons.
George Town 13 " 52 "
EUzab : Town 9 " 36 "
Kings town 15 " 60 "
Wessels pretended land. 7 " 28 "
Kingstown Sopes 10 " 4° "
At New York and places
adjacent 30 " 150
In Seven Townships in
Schoharie 170 " 680 "
Among the early settlers was a considerable
number of Huguenots, fragments of that terribly
persecuted class who fled from France on the re-
vocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV., in
1685, to the number of eight hundred thousand,
and took refuge in Holland, Germany, Switzerland
and England, whence many emigrated to this coun-
try, locating most numerously in this State in the
counties of Orange and Ulster, though the most
opulent settled in the city of New York. They
were a most valuable acquisition to the feeble set-
tlements in this vicinity; for their industry and
skill made them welcome in every Protestant coun-
try, and contributed largely to the development
not only of the physical features of the country, but
also of the liberal tendencies of the people. They
introduced into England arts of which France had
hitherto enjoyed a monopoly, and into North Ger-
many, manufactures which, hitherto unknown, put.
a new aspect on that country ; their persecutions
awakened the religious sympathies of New Eng-
land, and their skill and intelligence infused energy
and system into whatever they undertook.
* This list does not include the widows and orphans. See Colonial and
Documentary Histories of New York.
While the Dutch settlers were striking sturdy
blows in the reclamation of the wilderness which
marred the beautiful and fertile valleys of the west-
ern portion of the county, the enterprising New
England colonists, especially of Connecticut, were
forcing a passage across rugged mountain peaks
and planting the evidences of advancing civiUza-
tion in its eastern wilds. Thus we find in the con-
stituent elements of the population a healthy com-
mingUng of that volatile enterprise characteristic
of the New England yeomanry and the sterling
qualities and plodding energy of the more phleg-
matic Dutch burghers.
The first settlers were generally poor and de-
voted to husbandry. They sought here homes
and subsistence for themselves and famihes, such
as could be coaxed in an humble way from the
fruitful soil, which rewarded abundantly even a
moderate industry. Their beginnings were of a
most primitive character.- Their wants were few
and little sufficed to supply them ; for their simple
lives were not cursed with the artificial wants which
tax the energies of the present generation. Cor-
nells VanTienhoven, Secretary of the Province of
New Netherland, thus describes the houses which
prevailed in 1650, nearly forty years before the
rude beginnings were made in this county : —
" Those in New Netherland and especially in
New England, who have no means to build'farm
houses at first according to their wishes, dig a
square pit in the ground, cellar fashion, six or seven
feet deep, as long and as broad as they think
proper, case the inside with wood all round the
wall, and Une the wood with bark of trees or some-
thing else to prevent the caving in of the earth ;
floor this cellar with plank and wainscot it over-
head for a ceiling, raise a roof of spars clear up
and cover the spars with bark or green sods, so
that they can live dry and warm in these houses
with their entire families for two, t^ee and four
years, it being understood that partitions are run
through those cellars which are adapted to the size
of the family. The wealthy and principal men in
New England, in the beginning of the colonies,
commenced their first dweUing houses in this fashion
for two reasons ; firstly, in order not to waste time
building and not to want for food the next season ;
secondly, in order not to discourage poorer labor-
ing people whom they brought over in numbers
from Fatherland. In the course of three and four
years, when the country became adapted to agri-
culture, they built themselves handsome houses,
spending on them several thousands."
It is not improbable that such were the houses
in which the families of the pioneers in this county
were first domiciled, for we have evidence of their
I extreme poverty in the fact that when, in 1702, the
EARLY GROWTH OF DUCHESS COUNT V RETARDED.
59
Assembly voted £ i,8oo for the support of one
hundred and eighty men to defend the frontiers,
such was then the known indigence of the
people of Duchess county, "that but eighteen
pounds were apportioned for their quota of these
levies," while a/w rata amount by counties would
have been ;^iSo.
For many years the progress of settlement was
slow, and not until near the middle of the eight-
eenth century did the county become entitled to
that proud distinction of being "populous and
flourishing," as Judge Smith calls it in 1756, when
it had become the second county in the Province
in population, though only seventh in wealth. The
settlement was begun in the midst of that bitter
struggle between republicanism and monarchy
which evolved the revolution by which the Prince
of Orange ascended the English throne in 1688.
The English-American colonies sympathized with
the movement in England, and chafed under the
jurisdiction of the detested Andros, which then ex-
tended to New England, New York and New Jer-
sey. The news of the Prince's invasion of Eng-
land reached America in' April, 1689; and the pre-
viously matured movement which abolished the
Andros government and restored to the colonies
their charter rights was speedily consummated.
New York shared the impulse but with less una-
nimity, and the common people among the Dutch,
led by Jacob Leisler and his son-in-law, Jacob Mil-
borne, proclaimed the stadtholder, King of Eng-
land. The bitter dissensions incident to the gov-
ernmental changes wrought by this revolution,
especially in this State, resulting, as they did in.
the execution of these leaders in 1691, through the
perfidy of the faction who opposed the assumed
authority of Leisler, and came into power with the
advent of Col. Sloughter as Governor in that year,
were not calculated to promote internal growth.
The activity of the French at this period, also, was
particularly distressing to the border settlements,
and Schenectady was sacked and burned on the
night of February 9, 1690. This disaster was so
disheartening to the people of Albany that they
resolved to abandon the place and retire to New
York. Many were only deterred from doiiig so by
the reproaches of the Mohawks, who had, during
all these years, been the faithful allies of the En-
glish, and, in conjunction with the other Iroquois
nations, borne the brunt of French hostile aggres-
sion.
The contentions between Leislerian and anti-
Leisletian factions were protracted and acrimoni-
ous, and lent interest and animation to the Assem-
bly elections for years. It was during this period,
in 1 701, that Duchess County, which had hitherto
been thought "incapable of bearing the charge of
a representation," " animated by the heat of the
times, sent Jacob Rutsen and Adrien Garretsen to
represent them in assembly."
September 10, 1692, Duchess and Ulster Coun-
ties were required to raise eighty men for the pro-
tection of Albany from the Indians during the
winter,* and in April, 1693, the militia of these
two counties, then commanded by Lieut. -Col.
Henry Beekman, a Justice in Ulster County, num-
bered 277, and consisted of four companies of foot
and one of dragoons. We have no means of know-
ing how many of these belonged to Duchess,
though there is little doubt that the number was
small.
In 1700, the miUtia of the two counties com-
prised 325 men, who were formed into seven
companies of foot and one of horse, under com-
mand of Lieut.-Col. Jacob Rutsen, who repre-
sented Duchess in the Assembly in 1701. A list
of the officers in this year (1700) gives the earliest
official list of names which has come under our
observation. We believe, however, that only thi'ee
belonged to this county, viz : Capt. Baltus Van
Cleet, [Kleek,] Lieut. Mattyse Sleight^and Ensign
John.Ter Bus [Boss.j In 1698, the population of
the two counties was 1,384; in 1703, 1,669 ;f and
when we consider the fact that the population of
Ulster alone in 1700 was 2,005, '^^ ^^Y reasonably
conclude that Duchess County's share in these fig-
ures was indeed small.
In 1 7 14, we are first given a detached census of
Duchess County, which had then acquired govern-
mental functions of her own. The document is
one of great value in a historic point of view, as it
gives us the names of the sixty-seven heads of
families then resident in the county, (which, it
must be understood, embraced what is now Put-
nam County, and the towns of Clermont and Ger-
mantown in Columbia County,) and the status of
their families. The total number of souls was 445,
of whom 29 were slaves. We deem the document
of sufficient importance to be transcribed to these
pages. The names are familiar ones to the resi-
dents of the county, and many of them are per-
petuated to the present generation.
* Duchess County was for some years provisionally attaclied to Ulster
on account of the paucity of its inhabitants.
t In Doc. Hist. III., 966, this is stated to be the population of Ulster
County alone ; and the number is made up of the residents of Pals,
(Paltz,) Rochester, Marbletown, Hurley and Kingstown, thus proving that
the population of Duchess is not included.
6o
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
A List of the Inhabttants and Slaves in the
County of Duchess in 17 14.
names.
Jacob Kip ; ■ •
Jacob Plowgh
Matieis Slejt
Evert Van Wagenen
Whilliam Ostrander
Lowrans Ostrout
Peter Palmater .. . .
Maghell Pallmatir
William Tetsort
Hendrick Pells
Peter Vely ,
John Kip
Elena Van Be Bogart
John De Grave
Lenard Lewis
Bartolumus Hoogenboom . .
Baltus Van Kleck
Frans Le Roy
Bareiit Van Kleck
John Ostrom
Harmen Rinders
Meindert Van Ben Bogart.
Johanes Van Kleck
Lenar Le Roy —
Swart Van Wagenen
Henry Van Ber Burgh . . .
Elias Van Bunchoten
Thftmas - Sanders
Catrine Lasink Wedo
Peter Lasink ...
-ey Scouten.,
Mellen Springsteen
Johnes Terbots
John Beuys
Abram Beuys
Garatt Van Vleit
William Outen
Andreis Baivedes
Frans Be Langen
Aret Masten . ...- ...
James Husey
Roger Brett
Peter De Boyes
Isack Hendricks
John Breines . . ,
Jeurey Springsten
Peck De Wit
Adaam Van alsted
Cellitiekool
Harmen Knickerbacker . . .
Johanis Byckman Sienjer .
Jacob Hoghtelingh . . .
Dirck Wesselse
WillemSchot .,
Jacob Vosburgh
Tunis Pieierse
henderick bretsiert
Roelif Buijtse'r . . .
Johannis Spoor Junjoor . .
Abraham vosburgh
Abraham Van Busen
Willem Wijt
Louwerens knickerbacker. . .
henderck Sissum
Aenderis Gerdener
Gysbert Oosterhout
Johannis Byckman Junjor. .
Total.,
89 *I20
a
iz;
97
98
*The third column foots up to 121, and the seventh, to 30, which would
make the total number 447 ; but the error probably occurs in the columns,
though the above is a copy of the table.
The next census of Duchess, taken in 1723,
gives the county a population of 1,083. Of this
numter 43 were " negroes and other slaves." In
1731, the population had increased to 1,727, of
whom 112 were "blacks." Up to this period
Duchess was the least populous county in the
Province; but in 1737, with a population of 3,418,
of whom 262 were "blacks,"' it outranked Kings,
Orange and Richmond. June 2, 1738, Lieut.-Gov.
Clarke, in answer to queries from the Board of
Trade, states the population of the county, " ex-
cept the High Lands," to be 3,086, including 262
" blacks ;" so that here we have approximately the
population of the county, as at present constituted,
at that period. In 1740, we have a "list of the
freeholders " in the county, certified by "Ja. Wilson,
Sheriff." They number 235. In no other form
have we so many of the names of the settlers of
that early period. Their honorable connection
with the history of the county as the pioneers in
its subjugation from the wilderness they found it, to
the fair Eden as their descenaants now enjoyit, is
sufficient to raise them from the vale of personal
obscurity in which many of them doubtless lived,
and justly entitles them to recognition in these
pages. We transcribe and thus hand down to
posterity the names * of this venerated band, as
follows : —
Henry Beekman, Hendrick Sheffer,
Lowr'nce Kneckerbacker,Peter Oostrander,
Nicholas Hoffman, Benjamin Van Steenberg,
Martinus Hoffman, Hans felte Sheffer,
Barent Van Benthuysen, Willem Freer,
Philip Londen,
Hendrick Kip,
Nicholas Row,
Jury Soefelt,
Zacharias Haber,
Fredricke Sipperly,
Johannis Spaller,
Jury Feder,
William Cole,
Hans Heyner,
Johannis P. Snyder,
Johannis Backus,
Hans felte Wollever,
Hans Lambert,
Joseph Rykert,
Adam Oostrander,
Simon Kool,
Godfreed Hendrick,
Wendel Yager,
Jacob Drom,
Martinus Shoe,
Jury Adam Soefelt,
Philip foelandt,
Andries Widerwox,
Frau Neker,
Christophell Snyder,
Marten Tiel,
Arnout Viele,
Teunis Freer,
Jury Ackert,
Evert Knickerbacker,
Nicholas Bonesteel,
Jacobus Van Etten, Junr.,
Basteaan Trever,
Coenradt Befringer,
Wendell polver,
Peter Van Etten,
William Simon,
William Scott,
Michaell Sipf)erly,
David Richart,
Jacob Mowl,
Mathys Earnest,
Andries* Hermans,
Michael Polver,
Johannis Weaver,
Wm. Van Vreedinburgh,
Johannis Kip, *
Arie Hendrickse,
Wm. Van Vreedingburgh,
Isaac Kip, [Junr.,
Roeloflf Kip,
Jacob Kip,
Abraham Kip, «
Mathys Sleght,
Evert Van Wagenen,
*r)i,c. Hist. I., bgi, 694 ; /K, 184, 205 ; Col. Hist. F., 702, 929 ; VI.,
133— 134.
LIST OF FREEHOLDERS IN 1740.
61
Lowrence Tiel,
Jacob Cool,
Philip More,
Jan Van Benthuysen,
Zacharias Smith,
Josias Ross,
Gysbert Westfall,
Henry Filkin,
Francis Hagaman,
John Gay,
Isaac Filkin,
Jan Ostrom,
Roeloif Ostrom,
Simoh Flegelaer,
Augustine Creed,
Jacob Hoff,
Lowrence Hoff,
Isaac Germain,
Isaac Germain, Junr.,
Josias Crego,
Isaac Tietsort,
Richard Sackett,
Gerret E. Van Wagenen.
Isaac Runnells,
Isaac Runnells, Junr.,
Frans Van Dyck,
Nehemiah Runnells,
Nicholas Van Wagenen,
Peter Palmer,
Nathaniell Marshall,
Joseph Palmer,
Jacob Van Campen,
John Runnells,
Samuell Palmer,
Joshua Palmer,
Manuell Gonselesduck,
William Palmer,
Peter Lassing,
Isaac Lassing,
Wilham Lassing,
Christophell Van Bomell,
Arie Van Vliet,
JohannisVan Benthuys'n,
William Syfer,
William Smith Secundus,
Alexander Griggs,
Jacobus De Yeo,
James Auchmoty,
Samuell Mathews,
George Ellsworth,
Johannis DoUson,
Jacob De Witt,
David De Dutcher,
John Cook,
John Carman,
Nicholas Koens,
Nicholas Emigh,
Hendrick Owl,
Mosis Nauthrup,
Stephen Crego,
Peter Simpson,
John Gamble,
William Humphreys,
Francis Nellson,
Goese Van Wagenen,
Hendrickus Heermans,
Lowrence Oosterhout,
Peter Tippell,
Albartus Shriver,
Stephen Frelick,
Arent Oostrander,
PhiUp Feller,
Jacob Van Wagenen,
Lewis Du Bois,
Mathys Du Bois,
Marcus Van Bomell,
Rudolphus Swartwoudt,
Mathewis Van Keuren,
Hendrick Willsie,
Elias Van Buntschoten,
Jacobus Van Bomell,
Thomas Lewis,
Henry Vandenburgh,
John Concklin,
Jacob Low,
Johannis Van Kleek,
Simon Freer,
Mosis De GraafF,
Barnardus Swartwoudt,
Johannis Tappon,
Myndert Vandenbogart,
Hendrick Ostrom,
Barent Van Kleek,
Frans La Roy,
Lowrence Van Kleek,
Jacobus Van Den Bogart,
Frans Filkin,
Bowdewine La Count,
Lowrence Gerbrantz,
Robert Kidney,
Peter Veile,
John Emons,
Magiel Pells,
Abraham Freer, Junr.,
Peter Palmatier,
Gybsert Peelen,
John Lossee,
Johannis Willsie,
Johannis Ter Boss,
Isaac DoUson,
Teunis Van Vliet,
Hendrick Van Tessell,
Hendrick Ter Boss,
Robert Britt,
Jacobus Ter Boss,
Cornelis Van Wyck,
Francis Britt,
Hendrick Rosekrans,
Thomas Langdon,
John Baily,
Christian Du Bois,
Jacobus Swartwout,
Theodorus Van Wyck,
Benjamin Hasbrook,
Willem Schutt,
George Brinckerhoff,
Daniell Boss,
Ephraime Bloome,
Thomas Davinport,
Isaac Van Amburgh,
Peter Du Bois, Junr.,
Cornelis Bogardus,
Jacobus De Peyster,
John Calkin, Junr.,
Johannis Van Voorhees.
Coert Van Voorhees,
Johannis Van Voorhees, William Drake,
Hendrick Philip, [Junr., Joshua Griffen,
John Brinckerhoff,
Cornelis Lossee,
Lowrence Lossee,
Jonathan Du Bois,
Jacob Du Bois,
John Montross,
Peter Mufford, -
John fiewellen.
Johannis Middellaer,
Samuel Hallstead,
Daniel Yeomans,
John Rosekrans,
Cornelis Willsie,
Maes Oostrander,
Abraham Swartwoudt,
Isaac BrinckerhofiF,
Baltus J. Van Kleek,
Baltus B. Van Kleek,
William Ver Planck,
Simon La Roy,
Ahaswarus Van Kleek,
Teunis Van Buntskoten,
Gideon Ver Veelen,
Peter Outwater,
Jacob Brinckerhoff,
Hendrick Mufford,
Marten Shenk,
Mathew DuBois, Jr.,
Abraham DeGraeff.*
In 1746, Duchess had a population of 8,806, in-
cluding 500 " blacks." In 1749, it was diminished
to 7,912, of whom 421 were "blacks;" but in the
next seven years there was an increase nearly equal
to one hundred per cent. ; for in 1756, there were
13,289 white, and 859 black inhabitants, making a
total of 14,148. At that time its population ex-
ceeded that of any other county in the Province,
except Albany, which had 17,424 inhabitants.
Westchester had 13,257, and New York only 13,-
040. Judge Smith in describing it in that year,
(1756,) says:—
" The south part of the county [now Putnam]
is mountainous and fit only for iron works, but the
rest contains a great quantity of good upland well
watered. The only villages in it are Poughkeepsie
and the Fish Kill, though they scarce deserve the
name. The inhabitants on the banks of the river
are Dutch, but those more easterly, Enghshraen,
and, for the most part,emigrants from Connecticut
and Long Island. There is no episcopal church in
it. The growth of this county has been very sud-
den, and commenced but a few years ago. With-
in the memory of persons now living, it did not
contain above twelve families ; and, according to
the late returns of the militia, it will furnish at
present, above two thousand five hundred fighting
men."
From this time till the close of the century the
county increased rapidly both in population and
wealth; since that time there has been a more
uniform but almost constant increase in popula-
tion. The only important exception, (and, indeed,
with the exception of the year 1835, the only one,)
was in 1814, when it was reduced from 51,363, in
* lu this, as in the preceding list, we have adherred to the orthography
in the original. (See Doc. Hist. I., mj — 208.) It will not he difficult
to recognize many of these names among those of the present inhabitants
of Duchess county, though the latter have been somewhat modernized.
62
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
1810, to 43,708, by the erection, in 1812, of Put-
nam county, which had a population in 181 4 of
9,353- From 22,404 in 1771; 32,636, in 1786;
and 45,266 in 1790; it had increased at the close
of the century to 47,775 ; thus, not only holding
the position it had gained in 1756, but far out-
stripping every other county in the State, except
New York, which nearly doubled its population in
the decade from 1790 to 1800, having the latter
year a population of 60,515 against 33,131 in 1790.
Washington, which most nearly approached
Duchess in 1800, had 35,792 inhabitants; Colum-
bia came next, with 35,472 and Albany -next
with 34,103. Most of the others were far be-
low it, and none approached it within fifteen
thousand. In 181 3, Spafford describes it as
" one of the most opulent farming counties in the
State;" and adds, "in agriculture, no county ex-
ceeds this in the style of improvement, and none
has a greater respectability of character, engaged
in practical farming." In domestic manufactures,
also, it took advanced rank, having in 1810, a
larger number of fulling-mills than any other county
in the State. It ranked fourth in the number of
carding machines — 25 ; first in the number of cot-
ton factories — 5— equahng Oneida; first in the
number of tanneries — 80 — double the number of
any other county in the State, except Montgomery,
Orange and Ulster, which had respectively 45, 49
and 41 ; only fifth in the number of breweries — 2 ;
ninth in the number of distilleries — 25 ; third in the
number of paper mills — 2 ; first in the number of
batteries — 22 — doubling the number of any other
county, except Saratoga, which had fourteen ; and
in the front rank, but equaled by five others, in
the number of oil-mills — 3 ; also in the number of
trip hammers— 7 — being equaled by one other
county only. But ithad neither blast nor air fur-
nace, nor blomary, a feature which at present forms
an important part of its industries.
If we look at the quantity of its manufactured
products at that period, we find that it held a no
less prominent position. It ranked ninth in the
number of looms— 1,342— and eighth in the num-
ber of yards of woolen cloth manufactured —
128,655; fifth in the number of yards of linen
cloth— 230,404; first in the number of hides and
skins tanned — 42,714; sixth in the number of gal-
lons brewed— 18,000 ; twentieth in the number of
gallons distilled — 24,450; first in the number of
reams of paper made — 15,000; second in the
nuitiber of hats made— 12,450 ; fifth in the number
of gallons of oil produced— 3,500. The product
of its fulUng-mills and cotton-factories is not given ;
neither for more than five of its twenty- five carding
machines. In 181 1, it had fourteen post-offices;
a number equaled by only two other counties —
Chenango and Otsego — and exceeded by four —
Oneida, Ontario, Suffolk and Washington.*
The subjoined table shows the population of the
county at different periods : —
1714 445
1723 i;o83
1731 1,727
1737 3,418
1746 8,806
1749 7,912
1756 14,148
1771 22,404
1786 32,636
1790 45,266
1800 ..47,775
1810 51,363
1814 ..43,708
1820 46,615
1825 46,698
1830 50,926
1835 50,704
1840 52,398
1845 55,124
1850 58,992
1855 60,635
i860 64,941
1865 65,192
1870 74,041
1875 76,334
1880 79,273
Happily the pioneers of Duchess county were
never harassed by those distressing Indian wars,
which desolated other counties and swept away
both the settler and his improvements ; neither
were they cursed with a sterile soil. They were left
to develope their agricultural, commercial and
mechanical enterprises without extraneous hind-
rance. The soil, which possesses a fertility un-
known to the lands in many portions of the State,
responded generously to the moderate exertions of
the husbandman ; and during the many years while
their less fortunate neighbors could only by the most
pinching industry coax from an almost barren soil a
scanty subsistence, they had acquired titles of un-
doubted validity to their lands, and were enjoying
the blessings which flow from a moderate compe-
tence.
The county occupies one of the most pictur-
esque portions of the Hudson Valley ; and while
its fertility attracted and held the agriculturist, its
beauty, not less than its excellent institutions of
learning and religion, for which it is justly noted,
•attracted persons of wealth, culture and refinement,
who sought homes within its borders because of
its aesthetic associations and influences. Hence a
steady and healthy growth has been maintained
for maily years ; and though it has been outstripped
in the competitive race for population it can point
to the many commercial and manufacturing enter-
prises within its borders, and with just pride, refer
the stranger to the no less gratifying evidences of
wealth, prosperity and contentment exhibited by
* spafford? s Gazetteer of \%fi, 6, 50, 73. Doc. Hist. I., 695, 696, 697.
Col. HUt. VI., 39Z, sso ; VIII.., 457, Census Reports.
ENROLLMENT OF QUAKERS IN 1755.
63
the tillers of the soil, who have supplemented
nature by improving an already beautiful country
and transformed it from its pristine wilderness to
the productive and attractive farms which adorn its
hillsides and valleys.* ,
Though the pioneers were not molested by the
savage natives whose fairpossessions they acquired,
their herds and flocks did not enjoy equal immu-
nity from the savage denizens of the forest. Early
in the eighteenth century the aid of the State Legis-
lature was invoked for the destruction of these
depredators. In 1726 and again in 1728, that
body passed laws for the destruction of wolves in
Albany, Duchess and Orange counties. In 1741 an
act was passed "to encourage the destroying of
wolves and panthers in Duchess county," which
was " much infested with those creatures." A like
act was passed the following year, and applied also
to Ulster and Orange counties. The record says :
"the inhabitants of these counties finding the for-
mer acts insufiicient, this act is passed hoping it
will prove more effectual." The hope would seem
to have been realized, for we find no further legis-
lative enactments against these pests, whose charge
it was probably thought safe to relegate to local
agencies.
Swine were no less objects of solicitude with
the State Legislature; for in 1728, again in 1730,
and again in 1736, acts were passed to prevent
their running at large in the county. The provi-
dent care of this august body was directed even
to the regulation of wagon ruts in the county, an
act having been passed for that purpose in 1734.
The record says : " One or two counties in the
Province having formerly obtained acts of Assembly
to make their waggons of a larger and equal size,
this county having observed the benefitt the people
have had by it are desirous to tread in their
steps."t
In April, 1755, an enrollment was made of the
Friends or Quakers in the county who claimed
exemption from military duty, pursuant to an act
of the Assembly passed February 19, 1755, for
regulating the militia of the Colony. They were
found to be quite numerous in the eastern part of
the county, especially upon the Oblong tract.
They were chiefly immigrants from Long Island
and Rhode Island and were of British origin. The
* In 1870, Duchess county, though then ranking as only the fourteenth
county in the State in respect to population, ranked as tenth in aggregate
equalized valuation ; being surpassed only by Albany, Erie, Kings, Mon-
roe New York, Onondaga, Orange, Rensselaer and Westchester ; and
some of these, though largely exceeding it in population, surpass it in
wealth by only trifling ainounts.
t Col. HUt- V; 87J, 909 ; VL, 28, 87.
names of many of these estimable people, who,
like the Moravians previously referred to, suffered
bitter persecutions at the hands of the dominant
religious party, are familiar to the present genera-
tion, and we give them as we find them recorded,
with their locations * and occupations : —
Joshua Shearman,
Moses Shearman,
Daniel Shearman,
Joseph Doty,
John Wing,
Zebulon Ferris,
Beekman Precinct,
do.
do.
do.
do.
(Oblong) do.
Joseph Smith, son of Richard, do do.
Robert Whiteley, Oblong,
Elijah Doty, Oblong House,
Philip Allen, Oblong,
Richard Smith, do.
James Aiken, do.
Abraham Chase, son of Henry, do,
David Hoeg, do.
John Hoeg, do.
Jonathan Hoeg, do.
Amos Hoeg, son of John, do.
William Hoeg, son of David, do.
John Hoeg, son of John, do.
Ezekiel Hoeg, do.
Judah Smith, do.
Mathew Win^, do.
Timothy Dakin, do.
Jonathan Dakin, do.
Samuel Russell, do.
John Fish, do.
Reed Ferris, do.
Benjamin Ferris Junr., do.
Joseph Akin, do.
Israel Howland, do.
Elisha Akin, do.
Isaac Haviland, do.
Nathan Soule, son of George, do.
Tames Birdsall, do.
Daniel Chase, do.
Shoemaker.
Laborer.
do.
Blacksmith.
Farmer.
do.
Laborer.
Farmer,
Carpenter.
Weaver.
Farmer.
Blacksmith.
Farmer.
Farmer. _
Blacksmith.
Laborer.
Farmer.
Laborer.
Tailor.
Farmer.
Laborer.
do.
Farmer.
Shoemaker.
Laborer.
Blacksmith.
Fanner. ■
do.
Blacksmith.
Farmer.
Laborer.
Farmer.
Silas Mossher, Oswego in Beekman Precinct, do.
William Mosher, do. do.
Silvester Richmond, do. do.
Jesse Irish, do. do.
David Irish, do. do.
William Irish, do. do.
Josiah Bull, do. do.
Josiah Bull Junr., do . do.
Allen Moore, do. do.
Andrew Moore, do. do.
William Gifford, do. do.
Nathaniel Yeomans, do. do.
Eliab Yeomans, do. do.
William Parks, do. do.
The following is a list of the slaves in Duchess
county above the age of fourteen, and their owners,
taken pursuant to act of the Assembly in 1755 = —
Names of Masters Names of Male Names of Fe-
AND Mistresses. Negroes. male Nbgbobs.
CoUo ; Martin Hoffman, Jack Fortune, Frank Francis,' Sarah Dean
Susan Bet
Toby Jo :
Capt. Zacharias Hoffman, Bristoll Will, Jenny Peggy
Vullard Widbeck, Jack, Diana
Harmon Knickerbacker, Tom,
John Van Benthouse, Pompey, Cuffy, Hannah Jenny
Barrent Van Benthouse, Bastian,Andrew,Cui6r,Peter,
Simon, prince Adam Mathew,
Anthony Hoffman, Jo ;
John Vosburgh, Jo Tom, Phillis
Capt. Evert Knickerbacker, Maria
Adam Pitzer, Kate
Peter Pitzer, Fortune,
Rier Schemerhorn, Diana
Peter Heermanse, Quash,
Gerrett Heermanse, Ned,
The above List was taken by me this izth Day of May 1755.
Zacharias Hoffman, Captain.
Rynebeck Precinct, March 22 Day.
Mr. Jacob Siemon, Antony,
Margerit Bennin, Tam,
Symon Kool, Pamp, Bette
Nicholas Stickel, Frank,
Johannes Feller, Piet,
Petrus Ten Brock, Tam, Cornells, Jack, Sara Bette
Ms Catherine Palling, Robben, Deen
Andiies Heremanse, Go, Mary
Taken up by me Evert.
Knekerbacker, Capt.
"Sketches of Local History, by Benson J. Lossing, LL. D., in The
Dutchess Farmer, Dec. \^, 1S76.— Doc. Hist. III., 1027, 1028.
64
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
Rhynebeck Precinct, March ye 22 Day.
Names of Masters Names of Male Names of Fe-
AND Mistresses. Negroes. male Negroes.
Mrs. Aleda Rutsen, Thom, Robin, Coffie, Filis, Riet, Dean
Mrs. Rachel VanSteenbergen,Lou, Pieter,
Lawrence Tiel, Tam,
Henry Tiel, Jack,
Philip Veller, Lou, Betty
Johannes Lambert, Bett
Jack Keip, Tom, Pieter, Jan, fillis
Roelof Keip, Tom, Keet
Abraham Keip, Betty, Mary, Bess
Gerrit VanBenthuysen, Herry, floor Dill
George Toevelt, febe
George Adam Toevelt, Dien
Susan Angenes Sheeferen, Kinno
Comeles Ostervanter, Wench fillis
Mrs. Cathlynje V. fretenborg, Yud
Taken up by me, Frans Nehkr Capt.*
The following document, which forms a part of
the collection of the Historical Committee of the
Poughkeepsie Literary Club, preserves evidence
that the inhabitants of Duchess of a century ago
were not free from those petty bickerings which
disgrace the present generation. We quote verba-
tim the formidable prelude to this document : —
" Dutchess Co. ss : An extract of all issues, fines,
americaments and recognizances forfeited and set
to our Lord the King at the General Session of
the Peace of our Lord the King on the first Tues-
day of January in the thirteenth year of the reign
of our Sovereign Lord George the Third now [1773]
King of Great Britain, &c., and by adjournment
to Saturday the eighth of January of the same
month, before Beverly Robinson, Nicholas De-
Lavergne, Henry Van Der Burgh, Bartholomew
Noxon, Ephraim Paine, Lawrence Lawrence and
Thomas Barker Esqrs., Justices of our said Lord
the King assigned to keep the peace in the county
of Dutchess also to hear and determine diverse
felonies, trespasses and other [a word unintelligible]
committed in the same county — Henry Livingston
Esq., Clerk of the Peace of the county aforesaid
there attending for the space of foar days."
By this tribunal fines of ten shillings each were
imposed on John Ostrom and Hendrick I. Ostrom,
yeoman, of Rombout Precinct, "for an assault on the
body of Francis Smith ;" Edy Van Evere, yeoman, of
Rombout Precinct, " for an assault on the body of
Nicholas Pearson, Jr. ;" Nicholas Pearson, Jr., yeo-
man, of same precinct, "for an assault on the body
of Edy Van Evere;" of five shillings each on John
I. Van Kleek, of " Poghkeepsie Precinct," shop-
keeper, "for an assault on the body of Alexander
Chaucer;" Alexander Chaucer, of the same pre-
cinct, gentleman, " for an assault on the body of
John I. Van Kleek;" Peter Mullen, of the same
precinct, blacksmith, " for an assault on the body
of Simon P. La Roy ;" and of five pounds on Silas
Fosket, of Amenia Precinct, yeoman, "for a vio-
lent assault on the body of Elizabeth Harris," and
he was "committed to his Majesty's gaol in
Dutchess county, there to remain until he shall pay
the said fine."
• Doc. Hist. Ill, 851, 852. ' '
Other quaint documents in the same collection
hand down to us those relics of ancient barbarism
— the oaths of abjuration and fealty, which, on the
accession of George III. to the throne of England
in 1760, were prescribed for the officers in his
dominion. The following are the oaths and the
names of those in Duchess county who took
them : —
"I, A. B., Do Solemnly and Sincerely, in the
Presence of God, Profess, Testify and Declare,
That I do Believe, that in the Sacrament of the
Lord's Supper there is not any Transubstantiation,
of the Elements of Bread and Wine, into the Body
and Blood of Christ, at or After the Consecration
Thereof, by any person whatsoever, And that the
Invocation, or Adoration of the Virgin Mary, or
Any Other Saint, And the Sacrifice of Mass, as they
are Now Used in the Church of Rome, Are Super-
stitious and Idolatrous, andu I do Solemnly in the
presence of God, Profess, Testify and Declare, that
I do make this Declaration, and Every Part There-
of, in the Plain and Ordinary Sence, of the Words
read to me, as they are Commonly Understood, by
English Protestants, Without Any Evasion, Equiv-
ocation, or Mental Reservation Whatsoever, and
Without any Dispensation, Already Granted me
for this purpose, by the Pope, or any Other Author-
ity Whatsoever, or Without Thinking, that I am or
Can be Acquitted, before God or Man, or absolved
of this Declaration, or any Part Thereof, Although
the Pope, or any Person or Persons, or Power
Whatsoever, Should Dispence with, or Annul the
same, and Declare that it was Null and Void, from
the Beginning."
The other oath reads as follows : —
" I, A. B., do Sincerely Promise & Swear, that I
will be faithful and bear true Allegiance to his
Majesty King George the Third, and I do Swear,
that I do from my heart, Abhor, Detest and Abjure,^
as Impious and Heritical, that Damnable Doctrine
and Position, that Princes Excommunicated and
Deprived by the Pope, or any Authority of the See
of Rome, may be Deposed by their Subjects or any
other Whatsoever, and I do Declare that no For-
eign Prince, Person, Prelate, State or Potentate,
hath or ought to have, any Jurisdiction, Power,
Superiority, Pre-eminence, or Authority Eclesias-
tical or Spiritual Within this Realm, and I do
Truly and Sincerely accknowledge and profess,
Testify and Declare, in my Conscience, before God
and the World, That our Sovereign Lord King
George the Third, is Lawfull and Rightfull King
of this Realm, and all other Dominions and Coun-
trys Thereunto Belonging, and I do Solemnly and
Sincerely Declare, that I do believe in my Con-
science that the person pretended to be Prince of
Wales, During the Life of the Late King James
the Second, and Since his Decease, PretendiiSg to
be, and Takeing upon himself, the Stile and Title
of King of England, by the name of James the
Third, or of Scotland by the name of James the
Eighth, or the Stile and Title of King of Great
LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS TO OATHS OF ABJURATION AND FEALTY, 1760-73. 65
Britain, hath not any right or Title Whatsoever, to
the Crown of this Realm, or any other the Domin-
ions Thereunto Belonging, and I do Renounce,
Refuse and Abjure, any Aligeance or Obediance
to. him and I do Swear, That I will bear Faith, and
true Alegiance to his Majesty King George the
Third, and him will Defend, to the Utmost of my
Power, against all Traiterous Conspiracies and
Attempts Whatsoever, which shall be made, Against
his Person, Crown or Dignity, and I will do my
Utmost Endeavors, to Disclose and Make Known,
to his Majesty and his Successors, all Treasons and
Traiterous Conspiracies, which I shall know to be
against him, or any of them, and I do faithfully
promise to the Utmost of my Power to Support
Maintain and Defend, the Successors of the Crown,
against him the said James and all other Persons
Whatsoever, Which Succession, by an Act Entitled
an Act for the further Limitation of the Crown
and better Securing the Rights and Libertys of the
Subjects is and Stands Limitted to the Late Prin-
cess Sophia, Electress and Dutchess Dowager of
Hanover, and the Heirs of her Body, being Protes-
tants, and all these things I do Plainly and Sincerely
Acknowledge and Swear according to the Express
words by me Spoken, and According to the Plain
and Common Sence and Understanding of the
Same Words, Without any Equivocation, Mental
Evasion, or Senister Reservation Whatsoever, and
I do make this Recognition, Acknowledgement,
Abjuration, Renunciation and Promise, heartily.
Willingly and Truly, upon the True Faith of a
Christian — So help me God."
Those whose name are foll(Jwed by a star (*) in
the following list took only the first oath at the date
set opposite their respective names. Those remain-
ing took both : —
1760.
April I. Roswell Hopkins,* 2d Lieut.
do. 2. Abraham Lozel,* Captain.
do. 2. Henry Bell,* ist Lieut.
do. 2. Michael Vinsnt,* 2d Lieut.
do. 2. Peter Covis,* Ensign.
do. 3. Stephanus Congen,* ist Lieut.
do. 3. Wm. Radcliff,* 2d Lieut.
do. 3. Bathuin Brown,* Ensign.
do. 3. Simon Flagler,* zd Lieut.
do. 4. Samuel King,* Ensign.
'''" 5. William Gray,* 2d Lieut.
8. Simeon Wright,* do.
William Doughty, Jr.,* Ensign.
John Stoutenburgh,* do.
William Hill,* 2d Lieut.
Isaac Rhodes,* Captain.
Andrew Sill,* Ensign.
his
do. 24. Thomas X Smith,* ist Lieut.
mark.
John Cannon,* Lieut.
Saml. Gerry, Jr.,* do.
Joseph Powell,* do.
Isaac Conckin,* do.
(.10,
do.
do. g.
do. 16,
do.
do,
do.
21.
21.
21.
May 22.
do. 22.
do. 23.
do. 23.
June 28.
do. 28.
Cornelius Vanwyck,* 2d Lieut.
John Bailey, Jr.,* Ensign.
1760.
June 30.
Aug. 21.
do. 21.
do. 21.
do. 21.
Sept. 27.
do. 29.
Nov. 8.
do. 27.
do. 27.
1761.
Oct. 20.
do. 22.
do. 22.
do. 22.
do. 22.
1762.
May 18.
do. 18.
do. 18.
do. 18.
do. 18.
do. 18.
do. 18.
do. 18.
do. 18.
do. 18.
do. 18.
do. 18.
do. 18.
1763.
Feb. 22.
Mar. 12.
do. 24.
do. 24.
do. 24.
do. 24.
1761.
Sept. 25,
do. 26.
do.
do.
do.
Oct.
do.
26.
29.
30-
7-
7-
do. 7.
do. 12.
,do. 13.
do. 14.
do. 20.
do. 20.
do. 21.
do. 21.
do. 21.
do. 21.
do. 21.
do. 21.
do. 21.
do. 21.
Jacob X Brill's mark,* Ensign.
Samuel Rowland,* Captain.
Abraham filkin,* Ensign.
Zephaniah Piatt, Jr.,* Captain.
Silas Deuel,* ist Lieut.
Jacob Sharpenstone,* 2d Lieut.
Christian Tobias,* Jr., Ensign.
Clear Everitt,* Sheriff.
Teunis Tappen,* Under Sheriff.
Barnardin Fillkih,* do.
Daniel Castle, Justice.
his
Christian DD Dedrick, Naturalized.
mark.
Henry Shop, do.
Johannes Pallankin Cassford, do,
Lodwick Elsever, do.
Johann Georg Goodmanhein, do.
his
Anthouy X Poucher, do.
mark,
his
Hannis HK Kraf, do.
mark.
William Peter Wallace, do.
Jacob Cain, do.
Johannis Blin or Bloss (?) do.
Hurst Cramer, do.
Peter Crofut, do.
Henry Dencker, do.
Christian Frankal, do.
Yuvi Loun, do.
George Schuyder, do.
John Joshua Weder, do.
Isaac Burton, Sub Sheriff.
Henry Ludinton, do.
Malen Mead, Captain.
David Sotherland, ist Lieut.
Lewis Barton, 2d Lieut.
Samuel Pugsly, Ensign.
Matthew Du Boys, Judge and Justice.
Nicholas De La Vergne, Justice and Asst.
William Doughty, do. do.
Roswell Hopkins, Justice.
L. Van Kleeck, Judge and Justice.
Abraham Bockee, Justice.
Thomas Philips, do.
Samuel Peters, do.
Henry Lott, do.
Henry D. Burgh, do.
William Humfrey, do.
John Akin, do.
Caleb Smith, do.
Jacobus Ter Bos, Justice and Judge.
Timothy Soule, Justice.
James Dickinson, do.
Elijah Tompkins, do.
John Rider, do.
Anthony Yelverton, Justice and Asst.
Samuel R. Utly, Justice.
Mordecai Lester, do.
66
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
1761.
Oct. 21.
do. 23.
do. 29.
Nov. 13.
do. 21.
do. 27.
do. 27.
1762.
Jan. 20.
Feb. 5.
May 18.
do. 20.
do. 20.
do. 20.
1763.
Jan. 12.
do. 12.
do. 12.
do. 28.
do. 28.
Feb. 2.
do.
do.
do.
do.
do.
do.
do. 2.
do.
do.
do.
do.
do.
do.
do. II.
do. II,
do. II.
April 6.
June 2.
Nov. 7.
1764.
Feb. 4.
May 15.
do. 15.
do. 17.
Oct. 2.
do. 2.
do. 2.
do. 29.
Nov. 7.
do. 7.
176J.
Nov. 8.
1766.
May 20.
do 20.
Oct. 7.
do. 7.
do. '8.
Nov. 1 2.
John Palmer, Justice.
James G. Livingston, Sheriff.
Bernard Filkin, Under Sheriff.
James Smith, Justice.
James Duncan, do.
Johannis Deevit, do.
Cornelis Luyster, do.
Augustinus Turck, do.
Elisha Colver, ' do.
Gilbert Livingston^ D. Clerk.
Johann Georg Kreep, Naturalized.
Henry AUendorf; do.
Azariah Newcomb, Under Sheriff.
Michael Hopkins, Captain.
Simeon Cook, 2d Lieut.
Ichabod Paine, Ensign.
Harmon Hoffman, do.
Samuel King, ist Lieut.
Moses Harris, Captain.
Jonathan Reynolds, ist Lieut.
Stephen Herrick, 2d Lieut.
Henry De Deo, Captain.
Symon Westfael, 1st Lieut.
Johannes Henner, 2d Lieut.
John Weever, Jr., Ensign.
his
Philip X Staats, do.
mark.
Stephen Caswell, Captain.
Eben'r Jessup, 2d Lieut.
Lewis Enos Bryan, Ensign.
Simeon Wright, Captain.
John Ring, ist Lieut.
Daniel J. CHne, Ensign.
Ichabod Rogers, 2d Lieut.
Henry Heermanns, ist Lieut.
his
Johannis Rysdorf, 2d Lieut.
mark.
Joseph F&wler, Ensign.
Joseph Ketchum, ist Lieut.
James Livingston, Sheriff.
Isaac Van Benschoten, Under Sheriff.
Isaac Burton, Under Sheriff.
Christian Tobias, NaturaUzed.
Frederick Gilliger, do.
John Bogardus, Justice.
Nathan Taylor, Captain.
Edward Gody, Jr.,* ist Lieut.
Silas Paddock, Ensign.
John Field, 2d Lieut.
Isaiah Bennet,* do.
Amos Fuller, Ensign.
Richard Warner, Under Sheriff.
Peter Klaing, NaturaUzed.
Josan Georg Marquaof, do.
Daniel Geigen Grim, do.
Michael Colts, do.
Isaac Rysdyk, do.
James Brook, Under Sheriff.
1767.
Mar. 15,
Oct. 4.
1769.
Jan. 9.
May 16.
do. 16.
do. 16.
do. 16.
do. 16.
do. 17.
do. 17.
do. 17.
do. 17.
June 6.
do. 7.
do. 7.
do. 14.
do. 15.
Aug. 31.
Oct. 4.
do. 4.
do. 4.
do. 14.
Dec. 6.
1770.
Jan. 30. Henry Hegaman, Justice.
Feb. 3. Jacobus Swartwout, Coroner.
Mar. 6. Cornelis Knickerbocker, Captain.
do. 6. Jacob Millins, ist Lieut.
do. 6. Johannes George Rorick, 2d Lieut.
do. 6. Benjamin Van Leman, Ensign.
do. 20. Thomas Taber, Justice.
Apr. 1 7. Johannes Rauch, Captain.
do. 17. John Wise Erus, ist Lieut.
do. 17. James Wilson, Ensign.
do. 17. Lewis Bryan, ist Lieut.
do. 17. James Winchell, 2d Lieut.
do. 17. William Knickerbocker, Ensign.
May 7. John Lovell, ad Lieut.
do. 15. John Child, Attorney.
do. 16. James Meed, 1st Lieut.
do. 22. Benjamin DeLamatter, Ensign.
June 16. Henry Ellis, Justice.
July 10. James Atwater, do.
Sept. 27. Silas Marsh,* Attorney. •
1771.
Feb. 9,
May ifl
Rufus Herrick, Under Sheriff.
Henry Beekman, Justice and Asst.
Tho. Newcomb, Under Sheriff.
Henry V. D. Burgh, Judge and Justice.
Peter Harris, Asst. and Justice.
James Duncan, Justice.
Lawrence Lawrence, Justice..
Matthew Brett, do.
Uriah Lawrence, do.
Andrew Moorhous, do.
Thomas Menzies, do.
Malcom Morison, do.
Bartholomew Noxon, do.
Henry Rosekranz, Jr., do.
Cornelius Humphrey, do.
Thomas Baldwin, do.
Andrew Bostwick, do.
Conrad Wineger, do.
Daniel Sleght, Naturalized.
John Michel Richer, do.
Thomas Barker, Justice.
Lewis Duboys, Under Sheriff.
Ephraim Paine, Justice.
John Lloyd, Under Sheriff.
Reuben Hopkins, Attorney.
June 14. Bev. Robinson, Judge and Justice.
Oct. 31. Enos Northrup, Under Sheriff.
James Vanderburgh, Justice.
Duncan Campbell, do.
Alex'r Grant, do.
Philip I. Livingston, High Sheriff.
Peter Dubois, Under Sheriff, •
1772.
Feb. 17.
Oct. 9.
do. g.
do. 16.
do. 16.
1773.
Jan. 6. John Terrill, Justice.
Feb. 15. Ananias Cooper, do.
Thrice during the revolutionary period (1780-
1782,) did the Marquis de Chastellux, a French
general officer under Rochambeau, extend his
DE CHASTELLUX'S TRAVELS THROUGH DUCHESS COUNTY.
67
travels to this county. His observations, published
in a rare work entitled Travels in North America,
are, with the exception of Anburey's, which will be
noticed in another connection, the earliest having
a local interest to Duchess county of which we
have knowledge. A view of the county at that
early period through the eyes of so distinguished
a character can not fail to interest the present in-
habitants of Duchess.
De Chastellux made his first visit in November,
1780, while en route from Rhode Island to " Prak-
ness," where Washington's army then lay. He
crossed the Housatonic, "or river of Stratford,"
"near BulVs iron works" (now Bull's Bridge,)
where, he says, it " is easily forded," and " lost in
admiration at the view of the charming landscape,
formed by the combination of forges, of the fall of
water which seems to work them, and of the varie-
gated prospect of trees and rocks with which this
picturesque scene is embellished," followed its
course south to the mouth of Ten Mile River.
After ascending the latter two or three miles he
came " in sight of several handsome houses,
forming a part of the district called The Oblong"
Two miles further on he arrived at the inn kept by
Colonel Moorhouse; "for nothing is more com-
mon in America," he says, " than to see an inn-
keeper a Colonel : they are in general militia col-
onels, chosen by the mihtia themselves, who seldom
fail to entreat the command to the most esteemed,
and most creditable citizens." With a motive
which did little credit to his heart, he urged for-
ward his horses " to get the start of a traveler
on horseback" who had joined him on the road,
and would have the same right with himself to
lodgings had they arrived together. He " had the
satisfaction, however, to see him pursue his jour-
ney ; but soon learnt with concern, that the little
inn where [he] proposed to pass that night, was
occupied by thirteen farmers, and two hundred and
fifty oxen coming from New Hampshire." The
oxen were " a part of the contingent of provisions "
furnished by that State to the army. They, he
adds, "were the least iijconvenient part of the
company, as they were left to graze in a meadow
hard by, without even a dog to guard them ; but the
farmers, their horses, and dogs, were in possession
of the inn." They occupied " all the rooms, and
all the beds," and he " was in the greatest distress ;"
when, with remarkable magninimity, "a tall, fat man,
the principal person amongst them," being informed
who he was, assured him, "that neither he, nor his
companions, would ever suifer a French general
officer to want a bed, and that they would rather
sleep on the floor ; adding, that they were accus-
tomed to it, and that it would be attended with no
inconvenience." He assured them that, being a
military man, he was as much accustomed as them-
selves to making the earth his bed, and they " had
long debates on this point oi pglitesse;" but the
result was that he and his aides "had a two-bedded
room."
He " parted good friends '' with his New Hamp-
shire acquaintances, whose " size and stature
struck" him ; and on the morning of the " 20th
of December" [should be November] resumed his
journey. "Three miles from Moorhouse's," he
says, "is a very high hill; we then descend, but
not quite so much as we ascended ; but the road
here is over elevated ground, leaving large moun-
tains on the left. The country is well cultivated ;
affording the prospect of several pretty farms, with
some mills ; and notwithstanding the war, Hopel
[Hopewell] township is building, inhabited chiefly
by Dutch people." It was his intention " to sleep
five miles this side of Fishkill, at Colonel Grifiin's
tavern ;'' but being assured by that gentleman,
whom he found " cutting and preparing wood for
fences,'' that "his house was full, which was easy
to be believed, for it was very small," he continued
his journey and reached Fishkill about four o'clock.
"This town," he says, referring to Fishkill, "in
which there are not more than fifty houses in the
space of two miles, has been long the principal
depot of the American army. It is there they have
placed their magazines, their hospitals, their work-
shops, &c., but all these form a town of themselves,
composed of some handsome large barracks, built
in the wood at the foot of the mountains." As
evidence of the "great importance" of the post at
Fishkill, which, he says, being " situated on the
high road from Connecticut," " near the North
River," and " protected by a chain, of inaccessible
mountains," "has all the qualities necessary for a
place of depot," he cites the campaign of 1777,
which made it " clear that the plan of the English
was to render themselves masters of the whole
course of the North River, and thus to separate
the Eastern and Western States," and " necessary
therefore to secure a post on Jhat river; West
Point was made choice of as the most important to
fortify, and Fishkill, as the place best adapted to
the establishment of the principal depot of pro-
visions, ammunition, &c."
How, " with difficulty," he found lodgings, which
were made " very scarce" by the movement of
68
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
troops to winter quarters ; but he " got at last into
a middling inn, next [kept] by an old Mrs. Egre-
mont. The house was not so clean as they usually
are in America ; but the most disagreeable circum-
stance was the want of several panes of glass. In
fact, of all repairs, that of windows is the most diffi-
cult, in a country where, from the scattered situ-
ation and distance of the houses from each other,
it is sometimes necessary to send twenty miles for
a glazier." But, having " made use of every thing
that came to hand to patch up the windows," with
the aid of " an excellent fire," and under the genial
influences of the polite attentions of " the Doctor
of the hospital" and " the Quarter-master of Fish-
kill," he managed to pass the night. In the morn-
ing he was conducted by the latter " to see the
barracks, the magazines, and work-houses of the
different workmen employed in the service of the
army." "These barracks," he says, " are wooden
houses, well built and well covered, having garrets,
and even cellars." Here, he adds, " such ample
provision is made for every thing that the service
and discipline of the army may require, that a
prdvotd and a prison are built there, surrounded by
paUsades. One gate only affords access to the
inclosure of the prdvotd ; and before it is placed a
guard-house." "After passing some time in visiting
these different settlements," he proceeded toward
West Point. Four or five miles from Fishkill, he
passed a camp in the woods occupied by "some hun-
dred invalid soldiers," who, he says, "were all in very
good health, but had been sent here because their
cloaths were truly invahds." " These honest fel-
lows," he adds, " for I will not say creatures^ (they
know to well how to suffer, and are suffering in too
noble a cause,) were not covered, even with rags j
but their steady countenances, and their arms in
good order, seemed to supply the defect of cloaths,
and to display nothing but their courage and their
patience." He continued his journey "in the
woods, in a road hemmed in on both sides by very
steep hills, which seemed admirably adapted for the
dwelling of bears, and where in fact they often
make their appearance in winter." He availed
himself " at length of a less difficult part of these
mountains to turn to the westward." Descending
slowly towards the river, " at the turning of the
road," he says, " my eyes were struck with the
most magnificent picture I had ever beheld. It
was a view of, the North River, running in a deep
channel formed by the mountains, through which,
in fbrmer ages it had forced its passage. The fort
of West Point and the formidable batteries which
defend it fix the attention on the western bank,
but on Kfting your eyes you behold on every side
lofty summits, thick set with redoubts and bat-
teries."
The following month, (December,) DeChastellux,
having visited Washington at " Prakness," and
extended his travels south to Philadelphia and the
battle-field of Brandywine, turned his steps north
to visit the battlefields of Stillwater and Saratoga.
From New Windsor, which was then the head-
quarters of Gen. Washington, he crossed the Hud-
son to " Fishkill Landing Placed' accompanied by
that officer, in whose barge he made the passage.
The object of crossing the river at this point was,
he says, " to gain the eastern road, preferred by
travellers to the western." Here he took leave of
Washington, who insisted that Col. Smith should
accompany'him to " Pougkk^nsie" (Poughkeepsie.)
" The road to this town," he says, " passes pretty
near Fishkill, which we leave on the right, from
thence we travel on the heights, where there is a
beautiful and extensive prospect, and traversing a
township, called Middlebrook, arrive at the creek,
and at Wapping Fall. There I halted a few
minutes to consider, under different points of view,
the charming landscape formed by this river, as
well from its cascade, which is roaring and pictur-
esque, as from the groups of trees and rocks, which,
combined with- a number of saw-mills and furnaces,
compose the most capricious and romantic pros-
pect."
It was his intention to stop over night at "Pough-
kensie," where he arrived at half-past three in the
afternoon ; " but finding that the sessions were
then holding, and that all the taverns were full,"
he proceeded three miles further, to '■'■Prides
Tavern" regretting not having seen Governor
Clinton, who "was then at Poughkensie, but
taken up with the business of the sessions." At
"Pride's Tavern" he interrogated the landlord,
whose name was Pride, and whom he perceived to
be a good farmer, on the subject of agriculture,
and drew from him the information that " the land
is very fertile in Duchess County, * * * but
it is commonly left fallow one year out of two
or three, less from necessity than from there being
more land than they can cultivate. A bushel of
wheat at most is sown upon an acre, which renders
twenty, and five-and-twenty for one. Some
farmers sow oats on the land that has borne wheat
the preceding year, but this grain in general is re-
served for lands newly turned up ; flax is also a
considerable object of cultivation ; the land is
DE CHASTELLUX'S TRAVELS THROUGH DUCHESS COUNTY.
69
ploughed with horses, two or three to a plough ;
sometimes even a greater number when on new
land, or that which has long lain fallow." Mr.
Pride, he says, while giving these details, always
flattered him with hopes of fine weather the next
day ; in the morning, however, he was chagrined
to find that the ground was "ahready entirely
white," while snow "continued to fall in abun-
dance, mixed with hail and ice." He continued
his journey, notwithstanding, ''only taking a little
better breakfast than I should otherwise have
done," he says, probably, as he does not other-
wise explain his motive, as a punitive reward for
the erroneous prognostications of his landlord.
" But I regretted most," he adds, " that the snow,
or rather small hail that drove against my eyes,
prevented me from seeing the country ; which, as
far as I could judge, is beautiful and well cultivated.
After the travelling about ten miles, I traversed
the township of Strasbourg, called by the inhabi-
tants of the country Strattsborough [Staatsburgh.]
This township is five or six miles long, yet the
houses are not far from each other."
"You scarcely get out of Stratsbourgh," he says,
"before you enter the township of Rhynbeck-"
where, he observes, " nobody came out to ask me
to dinner." " But this snow mixed with hail was
so cold, and I was so fatigued with keeping my
horse from slipping, that I should have stopped
here even without being invited by the handsome
appearance of the inn called Thomas's Inn. It was
no more, however, than half past two ; but as I had
already come three and twenty miles, the house
was good, the fire well-lighted, my host a tall, good-
looking man, a sportsman, a horse dealer, and dis-
posed to chat, I determined according to the English
phrase to spend the rest of my day there." Mr.
Thomas, who was the owner of "some dogs of a
beautiful kind," which awakened the Marquis' pas-
sion for a chase, and, in time of peace, had carried
on a great trade of horses, which he purchased in
Canada and sent to New York, there to be shipped
to the West Indies, regaled his distinguished guest
with the recital of his experiences as a sportsman
and horse trader, and with the more important in-
formation, " that in the neighborhood of Rhynbeck
the land was uncommonly fruitful, and that for a
bushel of sown wheat he reaped from thirty to
forty. The corn is so abundant that they do not
take the trouble of cutting it with a sickle, but
mow it like hay." The Marquis' opinion of his
host's patriotism was not of an exalted nature. "He
was " he says, " too rich, and complained too much
of the flour he furnished for the army to let me
think him a good whig." De Chastellux left
Thomas' Inn December 23d, and we leave him to
pursue his journey through Livingston Manor,
Claverack, Kinderhook and Albany to the historic
fields of Saratoga, of all of which he gives a most
interesting description.
Two years after his first visit, in December
1782, DeChastellux again visited this section, while
on his way from Rhode Island to the headquarters
of Washington, then at Newburgh. The war had
ceased; the preUminaries of peace had been
arranged between the United States, Great Britain
and France ; and the French allies of the former
were about to depart from America. The Marquis
had taken his usual route from Hartford through
Litchfield, down the Housatonic to Bull's Bridge,
and up Ten-Mile River to Moorhouse's Tavern,
where he arrived at five in the afternoon of Decem-
ber 4th.
" The 5th we set out at nine, and rode without
stopping, to Fish-kill, where we arrived at half-past
two, after a four-and-twenty miles journey through
very bad roads. I alighted at Boerorris tavern,
which I knew to be the same I had been at two
years before, and kept by Mrs. Egremont. The
house was changed for the better, and we made a
very good supper. We passed the North River as
night came on, and arrived at six o'clock at New-
burgh."*
CHAPTER IX.
Early Civil Divisions — Duchess County Di-
vided Into Wards, Precincts and Towns —
Topography of County — Its Mountains and
Streams — Measures for Re-Stocking the
LATTER WITH FiSH ClIMATE TEMPERATURE
Rain-Fall — Snow-Fall — Thaws — Direction
and Prevalence of Winds — Mortality of
Duchess as Compared with other Counties
IN the State — Soils — Agriculture — Staple
Productions — Manufactures.
PREVIOUS to 1683, the State of New York
had no other distinctive civil divisions than
manors, cities and villages. In 1638, the Dutch
gave to all that part of the State lying west of
Albany its first specific designation— 7>rra Incog-
nita]— a name nearly as appropriate even a
*DeChastellux's Travels In North America., London Ed., /., 56—
7Z, J51 — 367; I!..,'2^i — joi. Historical Sketches by Benson J. Lossing^t
LL. D., in Poughkeepsie Daily Eagle, November 1873.
t Tumer^s Pioneer History of Phelps and Gorhanis Purchase., 126,
70
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
century later. November i, 1683, the Province
of New York was divided into twelve counties
which were named from the titles of the royal
family.* Duchess was one of the twelve, and then
embraced the present county of Putnam and the
towns of Clermont and Germantown, in Columbia
county; the latter of which were annexed to
Albany county in 1717, and the former constituted
a separate county June t2, 181 2. Its boundaries,
as defined in the original act, were Roelaff Jansen's
Kill on the north to the county of Westchester,
south of the Highlands, on the south, and east
from the Hudson into the woods twenty miles. It
was then, it is supposed, uninhabited by white men ;
and October 18, 1701, "having very few inhabi-
tants," was provisionally annexed to Ulster county,
where its freeholders were entitled to vote, as
though they resided there. It retained that con-
nection till October 23, 1 7 13, when having increased
in population, it was deemed " necessary that they
should have county officers of their own," and by
an act of the assembly "Dutchy County" was em-
powered to elect a supervisor, treasurer, assessors
and collectors.!
In 17 19, the county was divided into three
wards designated Northern, Middle and Southern,
each entitled to a supervisor. The North Ward ex-
tended from Roelaff Jansen's Kill south to Cline
Sopas Island, (Little Esopus Island,) the Middle
Ward, thence to Wappinger Creek, and the
South Ward, thence below the Highlands to the
south border of the county. Each extended from
the Hudson to the Connecticut line, the present
west line of the Oblong, across which they were
extended December 17, 1743. December 16,
1737, the county was divided into seven precincts —
designated Beekman, Charlotte, Crom Elbow,
North, Poughkeepsie, Rhinebeck and South East
town — with municipal jurisdiction similar to that
of towns. The wages of each Supervisor was
limited to three shillings per day. Some of these
names are lost in the subsequent divisions which
took place. From these seven precincts others
were subsequently formed : North East, Dec. 1 6,
* These original counties were: Albany, Cornwall, (now in Maine,)
Dukes, (now in Massachusetts,) Duchess, Kings, New York, Orange,
Queens, Richmond, Suffolk, Ulster and Westchester.
t The records of the county previous to 171S, if any were kept, are
either lost or destroyed. The first recorded election of Supervisors was
held at "Pocopsang,." April 5, lyzo, and Johannes Ter Boss, of the
South Ward, Heniy Van Der Burgh, of the Middle Ward, and WiUiam
Traphagen, of the North Ward, were chosen. The first meeting of these
supervisors was held January 20, 1721, at which time county allowances
were made to the amount of £^0. 4s. 7d. The bills of Trynte Van Kleek,
wido^v, for victualing the assessors and supervisors, amounting to nine
shillings, and of Jacobus Van Der Bogart, for horse fodder furnished the
assessors, amounting to three shillings, were allowed.
1746; Pawlings, Dec. 31, 1768; Amenia, March
20, 1762 ; and Frederickstown, March 24, 1772.
Rombout and Fishkill Precincts are also men-
tioned in records of the colonial period. Beek-
man was reduced by the formation of Pawhngs.
Charlotte and Rhinebeck, — the latter of which
included the lands purchased of the widow
Paulding and her children by Dr. Samuel Statts,
all the land granted to Adrian, Roosa, and Cotbe,
the land. patented to Col. Henry Beekman June 5,
1703, and the Magdalen Island Purchase granted
to Col. Peter Schuyler, and derived its name from
the first settlers, who were from the Rhine, and the
original proprietor, Colonel Beekman — formed the
original town of Clinton. Amenia included
portions of Amenia and North East, and the
whole of Washington, Pleasant Valley, Stanford,
Clinton and Hyde Park; North East, named
from its geographical position in the county, em-
braced the Little or Upper Nine Partners'
Tract. Poughkeepsie corresponded with the
present town of -that name. March 7, 1788, the
county (except Clinton, which was formed March
13, 1786,) was divided into eight towns,* viz:
Amenia, Beekman, (from which a part of Freedom —
now LaGrange — ^was taken in 1821, and a part of
Union Vale, in 1827,) Fishkill, (from which a part
of Freedom was taken in 1821, East Fishkill, in
1849, and Wappinger,in 1875,) North East, (from
which Milan was taken in 1818, and Pine Plains,
in 1823.) Pawling, (from which Dover was taken
in 1807,) Poughkeepsie, (from which the city of
Poughkeepsie was taken in 1854,) Rhinebeck,
(from which Red Hook was taken in 181 2,) and
Washington, (from which Stanford was taken in
1793-) Two other towns were subsequently
formed from CUnton in 182T, Hyde Park and
Pleasant Valley, making the present number of
towns, twenty.
The county lies upon the east bank of the Hud-
son, extending thence east to the Connecticut line,
and is about midway between New York and Al-
bany, being centrally distant from the latter about
seventy-five miles, and from the former about sev-
enty miles. It is bounded on the north by Colum-
bia County, and on the south by Putnam. It is
geographically situated between 41° 25' and 42°
* Frederickstown, (now Kent, ) which like the precinct of that name,
derived its name from Frederidt Philipse, and its present name, to which
it was changed April 15, 1817, from the Kent family, who were e^j:ly set-
tlers ; Philipstown, from which a part of Fishkill was taken in 1806, and
which, Kke Philips Precinct, formed March 24, 1771, derived its name
from Adolph Philipse, the patentee of Philipse Manor ; and South East,
in Putnam county, but then in Duchess, were formed as towns March 7,
1788.
CONFIGURATION OF DUCHESS COUNTY— STREAMS.
71
4' north latitude, and 3° 5' and 3° 33' east longitude
from Washington.* Its area is 486,254 acres.f its
greatest length nortli and south, thirty-eight miles,
and breadth, east and west, twenty-six miles.
The following table shows the number of acres
of improved land in each town in 1820 and 1875;
the total number of acres in each town, and the
total equalized valuation of real and personal prop-
erty in 1880; and the population in 1820 and
1880:—
TOWNS
Improved Land, Population.
Area.^
Equalized
Valuation.^
1820.11
"875. §
l820.§
l88o.§
Amenia
Beekman
32,306
19,157
22,441
43.240
18,988
31,091
15.392
17,347
15,677
tt
16,399
17.572
17,73°
18,831
14.178
§§
24,323
18,506
14,329
19,800
17,178
23.415
24,289
1 7. '45
22,SZO
17.586
20,208
19,859
14,967
17.747
M,0S7
i/,463
18,134
26,925
17,028
§§
52, 321
2,865
2.384
6,940
2,300
2,655
1.797
2,037
1,804
t+
1,927
5,726
2,714
2,729
2,518
tt
4182
2,697
1,581
1,640
2,281
«.575
10,734
2,890
1.745
1,275
2,181
2,004
I,3S2
20I207
4,47'
3.905
2.092
1,407
4.966
2.854
26,087
18,512
24,100
32,392
33,221
18,715
23,098
25,816
22,676
26,182
27,594
■8,531
20,108
17,782
22.255
21,535
31,642
23,403
16,001
36,806
* '.255.557
707,687
Dover
East Fishkill
Fishkill
Hyde Park ,
La Grange..
Milan
1,118,006
1.079.9'+
3,493.941
1,965,440
1,189,490
578,179
1,207,865
1,269,494
777,324
952,660
2,400,511
11,835,167
1,275,246
625,529
1,606,603
1.458,059
North East
Pawling
Pine Plains
Pleasant VaUey....
Po'keepsie, Town .
do City..
RedHook
Rhinebeck ...
Stanford
Union Vale.
Wappinger .
Washington
Total 342,811
373,477
46,615
79.273
486,254
$41,001,927
W Stafford's Gazetteer., 1824, 149.
§ Census Reports,
'i Proceeding's 0/ the Board of Supervisors of Duchess County, 1880,
** Included in Fishkill.
+t Included in North East.
it Included iu Beekman and La Grange.
|§ Included in Fishkill.
The surface of the county is diversified, and
produces a variety of soil and scenery. It is gen-
erally hilly ; but mountainous in the east and south.
It may be divided into two great valleys : that on
the east bounded by the Taconic and Mattea-
wan or Fishkill mountains, the former of which,
occupying the east border of the county, rise from
300 to 500 feet above the valleys, and i,ooo to
1,200 feet above tide, and the latter, extending in
a broad range, north and south, through the cen-
tral part of the county, with a spur extending west
along the south border to the river, have an average
elevation of i,ooo above tide, while the highest
peaks, along the south border, attain an altitude of
1,500 to 1,700 feet ;t that on the west spreads
* The meridian of Washington corresponds with the seventy-seventh
west of Greenwich.
t Report of the Committee on Equalization of the Board 0/ Super-
visors, 1880 The Census of 1 87s says it contains 472, 1 3 5 acres ; Frenches
and Hough's Gazetteers of New York, 518,400, (810 square miles ;)
Burr's Atlas 4^<},joo ; Spafford's Gazetteer of iSz^ 464,000, (725 square
miles.)
t Old Beacon, two miles east of Matteawan village, is 1,471 feet above
tide : and New Beacon or Grand Sachem, a half mile south of the same
place, is 1,685 feet above tide. These eminences derive their names from
beacons placed on their summits during the Revolution. Their illumined
crests were visible for a long distance up and down the valley, and were
a pharos to give warning to the patriotic. " From the top of the latter,"
says BarhN,{Historical Collections of the State of New York,^ "the view
on the south embraces the country upon the Hudson for 25 miles, to Tap-
pan Bay ; on the south-east includes Long Island and the Sound ; and
upon the north-east and west comprehends, in the diameter of a circle
fifty miles in extent, scenery of every diversity, blending the beauties of cul-
tivation with the stern and unchangeable features of nature."
between the Fishkill Mountains and the high bank
of the Hudson. The decUvities of the Taconic
Mountains, and those on the south border, are
generally steep, and in some places rocky ; but to-
wards the north, the latter decline more gradually,
and the country assumes a rolling character, broken
by rounded hills. West of the Fishkills, and be-
tween the streams, are rolling ridges, whose line of
bearing, from south-west to north-east, corresponds
with that of the mountains. They terminate upon
the river in a series of bluffs from loo to i8o feet
in height. Some of these are broken by deep
ravines, and become isolated hills. The mountains
upon the south border form the northern extrem-
ities of the Highlands, in whose "awful defiles,"
says Irving, in his authentic history of New York,
by Diedrich Knickerbocker, "it would seem that
the gigantic Titans had erst waged their impious
war with heaven, piling up cliffs on cliffs, and hurl-
ing vast masses of rock in wild confusion ;" and
through whose "stupendous ruins," "at length the
conquering Hudson, in his irresistible career towards
the ocean," having burst the formidable barrier,
rolls " his tide triumphantly." A break in these
mountains, in the east part, opening toward the
south, and known as the Wiccopee Pass, was care-
fully guarded during the Revolution, to prevent the
British from capturing the American stores at
Fishkill and turning the works at West Point. A
considerable American force was stationed at the
upper extremity of the pqss during the campaign
of 1777.
The principal streams besides the Hudson, which
form the west boundary, are the Fishkill, Fallkill,
Sawkill, and Wappinger, Crom Elbow and Landi-
mons Creeks, tributaries of the Hudson, all flowing
into it in a south-westerly direction, Sprout Creek,
a considerable branch of the Fishkill, Ten Mile
River, a tributary of the Housatonic, Swamp River,
a tributary of the latter, Roelaff Jansen's Kill, flow-
ing through a portion of the extreme north part of
the county, and Croton River. There are innum-
erable small streams tributary to these, which rise
in springs upon the mountain slopes ; and among
the highlands in the central and eastern portions
are numerous beautiful little lakes, noted for the
purity of their waters and the beauty of the scen-
ery immediately about them.
Hudson River is the most important and the
most picturesque of the interior water courses of
the State. Its basin occupies about two-thirds of
the east border of the State, and a large territory
extending into the interior. It rises from springs
72
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
and lakelets on Mt. Marcy, a peak of the Adiron-
dacks, towering to the height of 5,467 feet above
tide, the highest land in the State, and is fed by
numerous branches which cover the whole moun-
tain chain of the Adirondacks. It descends rapidly
through narrow defiles into Warren county, where
it receives from the east the outlet of SchroonLake,
and from the west the Sacondaga River. Below the
mouth of the latter it turns eastward, and in a
series of rapids and falls breaks through the barrier
of the Luzerne Mountains. At Fort Edward it again
flows south, with rapid current, frequently inter-
rupted by falls, to Troy, 160 miles from the occean,
where it becomes an estuary, its current being
affected by the tide; and from thence to its mouth
it is a broad, deep, sluggish stream. Above Troy
it receives the Hoosick from the east and the
Mohawk from the west ; the former rising in west-
ern Massachusetts and Vermont, and the latter in
the north-east part of Oneida county. Below Troy
its tributaries are comparatively small. About
sixty miles from its mouth it breaks through the
rocky barrier of the Highlands, the most easterly
of the Appalachian mountain ranges ; and along
its lower course is bordered on the west by a nearly
perpendicular wall of basaltic rock 300 to 500 feet
high, known as "The Palisades." South of the
Highlands it spreads out into a wide expanse
known as " Tappan Bay." In its whole course it
is 300 miles in length. At its mouth the Hudson
is navigated by the largest ships ; it opens a sloop
navigation to Waterford, from which place it is
connected by Champlain Canal with Lake Cham-
plain at Whitehall. At present it is navigable for
ships to Hudson and Athens, and for sloops and
steamers to Troy. Boats formerly ascended to
Fort Edward, with portages around the rapids. At
Poughkeepsie, from the high point above the ferry
dock to the landing opposite near the ferry dock,
the river is 2,420 feet wide. The depth of water
in the midle is forty-nine feet; and the average
depth on either side, 51 feet. The mean rise and
fall of tides at Poughkeepsie is 3.24 feet; at Tivoli,
3.95 feet. The mean rise and fall of spring tides
at those places is 4 and 4.8 feet respectively; and
of neap tides, 2.4 and 3 feet.
The Fishkill is a name compounded of the En-
glish word Fish and the Dutch word .S"///, (meaning
creek,) and, like the mountains in which it rises
was called by the aborigines Matteawan, a name
whose euphony has not been improved by the
change. The name signified, says Spafford, "the
country of good fur." The stream was called by
the early Dutch settlers Vis-Kill. It rises by two
main branches in the town of Union Vale. The
easterly branch is known as Gardiner Hollow
brook; the westerly and most northerly one, as
Clove Stream; they unite near the center of the
town of Beekman, and thence the main stream
flows in a south-westerly direction through the cen-
tral parts of East Fishkill and Fishkill, and empties
into the Hudson near the south border of the latter
town. It presents numerous cascades, and fur-
nishes a valuable hydraulic power. It receives in
its course many small streams, the principal of
which is Sprout-creek, which rises in the south-
west part of Washington and north-west part of
Union Vale, and flows in a south-westerly direc-
tion through La Grange, forming the boundary
between East Fishkill and Wappinger, to near the
center of the west border of the former town, where
it unites with the Fishkill. The latter stream, (the
Fishkill) is rapid in the upper and lower parts of
its course, but sluggish through the Fishkill plains.
From Fishkill village to its mouth, the fall is 187
feet in a distance of five miles, affording ten val-
uable mill sites. It propels several manufacturing
establishments in Beekman, and the extensive fac-
tories of Matteawan and Glenham.
Wappinger Creek, the largest in the county,
derives its name from the Wappinger or Wap-
pingi tribe of Indians, who dwelt at its falls near the
Hudson, and called it Maevenawasigh, "a large
good stream and cascade." On Sauthier's map it
is called the " Great Wappingers Creek." It rises
in Stissing Pond, in the town of Pine Plains, and
traverses the county from north-east to south-west,
for a distance of about thirty-five miles, passing
diagonally through Stanford, across the south-east
corner of Clinton, diagonally through Pleasant Val-
ley, and from thence forms the bouridary between
the towns of Poughkeepsie, LaGrange and Wap-
pinger. It unites with the Hudson at New Ham-
burgh, nine miles below the city of Poughkeepsie.
It receives many streams on either hand, and sup-
pHes many valuable mill seats. It is everywhere
a highly picturesque stream.
Ten Mile River rises by several branches in the
east part of the county and in the town of Sharon,
Connecticut. It flows south through Amenia and
Dover, and in the south part of the latter town
deflects east into Connecticut, emptying into the
Housatonic. Its tributaries from the north, ,Was-
saic and Deep Hollow Brooks, do not much ex-
ceed five miles in length ; and Swamp River from
the south, rising from a morass in Pawling, (which
STREAMS OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
73
is also the source of Croton River, which supplies
the city of New York with water,) may have a
course of about eight miles.
Cro7n Elbow Creek, a name compounded of the
Dutch Crom (crooked) and the English Elbow,
and given also by the Dutch to a sudden bend in
the river a little above the mouth of this creek,
where it is contracted to a narrow channel between
rocky bluffs, is a very crooked stream, some eight
or ten miles in length, rising among the hills at the
intersection of the towns of Milan, Clinton and
Rhinebeck, and flows in a south-westerly direction
to Union Comers, near the central part of the
town of Hyde Park, where it turns at nearly right
angles to the west, uniting with the Hudson near
the village of Hyde Park. In its upper course it
forms the south half of the east boundary of the
town of Rhinebeck, and the north half of the west
boundary of Clinton. It is a placid brook for the
greater part of its course, but has much fall in its
passage through the high bank of . the Hudson,
where it supplies some mill seats. On Sau-
thier's map and in some old deeds this creek is
called Fishkill, a name, indeed, which has been
applied to a vast number of streams in this
State.
The Fallkill, sweetly called by the Indians the
Winnakee, signifying " leap-stream" is a small, but
was once a valuable mill-stream. It rises in the
town of Clinton, and for the first six miles flows
rapidly over a rock or gravel bed, between high and
rocky hills. Below this point to the city line, it
moves for the greater part of the way sluggishly
along its crooked channel through muck, swamp
and low meadow land. Here it receives its load
of decomposing vegetable matter, which, together
with animal matter, the surface drainage from the
streets, and the refuse from tan-pits and slaughter-
houses within the city limits, deposited upon the
bottoms and banks of the several mill ponds within
the city, proved so deleterious to the health of the
citizens of Poughkeepsie, that it necessitated the re-
moval of most of the dams and the straightening
of the channel through the city. It is a " quick
stream," speedily affected by rains, the soil which
covers its rocky hills being shallow and not reten-
tive of water ; for the same reason it rapidly
resumes its natural flow. It reaches the river by
a series of cascades in the north part of the city,
emptying into what was once a sheltered cove,
which the aborigines called Apokeepsing, or "safe
harbor" from which the beautiful rural city upon
its borders derives its name. Several of the smaller
streams, with which the county abounds, furnish
excellent mill sites.
The streams and lakes within the county were
abundantly stored with choice fish during the early
years of settlement ; but the contamination of their
waters by the refuse from factories and other
causes depleted them. Measures have been taken
to restock them. About 1822, pickerel were in-
troduced into Thompson's Pond, a beautiful sheet
of water lying in the eastern part of the town of
Stanford, by James Dudley and one or two others
whose names are not remembered. They were
taken from one of the numerous lakes in Western
Connecticut, carried across the country in wash-
tubs, and safely deposited. They lived and mul-
tiplied abundantly. Mr. Dudley was one of the
most skillful anglers for trout in all that region of
country. He carried on blacksmithing in connec-
tion with a small farm near "the old separate meet-
ing-house," which, in early times, was widely known
as " the yellow-meeting-house," and was a guide
point in all that part of the country. But, like
many other old landmarks, it has gone, and little
remains to mark the spot where it stood so long,
except "God's acre" adjoining it, where rest the
remains of many of the early settlers of that fruit-
ful and beautiful valley.
About the same time pickerel were transplanted
from New Milford, Connecticut, to Silver Lake, on
the borders of the towns of East Fishkill and Beek-
man. They were transported in large casks across
the country, a distance of full twenty miles.
In December, 1877, the Supervisors appointed
a committee, consisting of J. S. VanCleef, P. A. M.
VanWyck, Albert Emons, James H. Weeks, David
Warner and Peter H. Christie, to stock the waters
of the county and to enforce the laws relative to
the taking offish. In 1878, the committee reported
that, " as far as your committee are informed, the
waters of this county suitable for salmon trout
have been suflSciently stocked. During the last
few years there have been distributed of this fish
through public and private efibrt not less than 150,-
000, a large proportion of which seem to have per-
ished, either because the water was not adapted to
them, or because they were devoured by their nat-
ural enemy, the black bass ; and it is respectfully
suggested that the efforts at stocking our streams
for the coming year be confined mainly to brook
trout and land-locked salmon."
The climate of Duchess County is agreeable and
healthful, though, from the elevations of some por-
tions of it, it is colder than some of the adjacent
74
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
counties.* The relative temperature of different
sections of the State, while it depends chiefly on
latitude and elevation, is modified in some degree
by a variety of other circumstances, such as the
situation in regard to the sea, or other large bodies
of water, both as it respects proximity and direc-
tion; the configuration of the surface, whether level
or hilly, and the position and shape of the hills, the
nature of the soil, and the extent of cultivation in
the surrounding country.!
The difference of vegetation between the eastern
and western parts of the State is from ten to fifteen
days in favor of the latter. The harvests are gath-
ered earlier, and vegetation continues longer. The
peach tree, in the same parallels along thfe Hudson,
is sickly, and in the Mohawk country rarely bears
fruit. In the eastern part of this county vegetation
is from eight to ten days later than along the Hud-
son. Between Sandy Hill and the Matteawan
Mountains the harvest is earlier by a week than
on the Mohawk between the east limits of Mont-
gomery County and the west limits of Herkimer
County. South of Matteawan Mountains, ap-
proaching the sea coast, the climate is milder and
vegetation earlier, and of longer continuance than
in the north and west. J
In the Hudson Valley, the extreme summer heat
is greater by several degrees than in any other sec-
tion of the State. There is no other place in the
State where the thermometer has risen so high on
an average each year as at Montgomery, Pough-
keepsie and Lansingburgh. This must be under-
stood as applying only to the hottest days in' each
year, and not to the average of the seasons. As
we ascend the Hudson, the opening of spring grad-
ually becomes later, the difference between the
vicinity of New York and Albany being about a
week.§ It is also characterized by the opposite
extreme. In 1835, a year of great severity of cold,
the thermometer at Poughkeepsie reached —35°
on the ^th of January. At New Lebanon, Colum-
bia County, the mercury froze the same day, a
condition requiring a reduction to — 40^". ||
Observations made during a period of eleven
years at Poughkeepsie, which is in latitude 41° 41',
and at the level of tide water, showed a tempera-
ture of 50.7 4°, while the temperature due to latitude
* Geographical History-of New York, Mather and Brockett, 187.
t Letter of James H. Coffin, a tutor in Williams College, dated Sept.
4, 184J, and published in Natural History of New York, Pari K, Ag-
riculture, 12.
t Gordon's Gazetteer of the State of New York, 64.
% Cofin's Letter; Natural History, Part V., Agriculture, vi, 23.
II Blodgett's Clivmtology, 148-150, which vatAt^ Niles' Register, AprU
". 1835.
and elevation is 49.67° — a difference of 1.07" to
be attributed to other causes than altitude and lat-
itude. At Red Hook, in latitude 42° 2', at an
elevation of fifty feet,* twelve observations showed
the temperature to be 48.81°, while the tempera-
ture due to latitude and elevation is 49.13° — a
reduction of .32° by other causes than latitude
and elevation. The mean temperature of the
State, as determined /rom 59 localities and 577
observations, is 46.49°; the mean annual maxi-
mum, from 59 localities and 550 observations, 92°;
the mean annual minimum, from 59 localities and
551 observations, 12°. The following is a com-
parison of the mean temperature, and annual
extremes of heat and cold, with the average of the
State during the same years : —
Poughkeepsie. Red Hook. State.
Mean temperature, +4-25° -I- 1.92° 46.49°!
" annual maximum, -1-4.24° -I- .75" 92°
" " minimum, -h 2.33'^ -1-3.42° 12°
" " range, +1.91° —2.67° 104°!
The Hudson Valley, like the valleys of New
York generally, has less rain than the hills or
elevated lands. The quantity of water precipitated
in rain is proportioned to the temperature, and
not to configuration or proximity to the sea ; but
there are practical exceptions to this general prin-
ciple, and an example is furnished in the district
which includes the highlands and mountains of
most parts of the New England States and New
York, which has more rain than would fall to it by
the general rule. There is some evidence that the
contact of atmospheric volumes with these alti-
tudes induces a share of the precipitation. We
find the greatest quantity for the State near the
Highlands of the Hudson, and a diminution from
this line both towards the sea and inland. Here
topography and configuration influence the result
very much. The rain-fall in the region of the
Southern Highlands exceeds that of other portions
of the State in the spring, fall and winter, very
largely in the latter season, while it is less in the
summer season. In the Hudson Valley, as shown
by observations between 1825 and 1855, made at
eleven academies and colleges and two military
posts, 36 inches was the annual rain fall. This is a
falling off of at least four inches from the country
in the vicinity on either side. The elevated por-
tions of the State, including Albany, from observa-
tions from 1820 to 1850, at thirteen academies,
gave a corrected average of nearly 39 inches ; and
* Both Poughkeepsie and Red Hook are at the level of tide water, but
the height of the instrument in each case was assumed to be fifty feet,
t -t- means more, and — , less than for the State.
X Covin's Letter.
METEOROLOGY— MORTALITY— SOIL.
75
as the points of observation are in most cases in
valleys more or less below the general level of the
country, it would be safe to assign 40 inches as
the average quantity for the district inclusive of its
valleys. Observations at Poughkeepsie Academy
during fourteen years gave 38.13 inches, and at
Red Hook Academy, during ten years 34.73
inches.* Observations made at Stanfordville in
this county in 1879, show the total precipitation
in rain, snow, etc., to have been 39.535 inches.f
The healthfulness of the climate as compared
with that of other counties in the State is indicated
in a measure by the percentage of deaths. The
rate in this county is 1.17 j while the average for
the State is 1.15. Just half the counties in the
State present a better showing than Duchess, while
two others equal it. The maximum rate — 1.41 —
is in Madison county ; the minimum — .85 — , in
Clinton. t The mortality in Duchess, however,
would seem to be due to other causes than cUmatic
influence; for the census of 1880 exhibits a re-
markable longevity among its citizens. In the
city of Poughkeepsie there were 635 persons of
seventy years or over, 95 of eighty years or over,
and 1 1 of ninety years or over. In the county,
outside of the city, there were 1,994 of seventy
years or over, 410 of eighty years or over, 38 of
ninety years or over, and 2 of one hundred years
or over, (Honora Fitzgerald, of Amenia, aged
107, and Prince Crosby, of Wappingers Falls,
aged 100;) thus making a total of 3,185 persons
in the county who had reached man's allotted
time on earth. §
The soils of the county are embraced within
the two districts which Prof. Emmons denominates
the Eastern and the Hudson. The former is a
narrow belt of country extending from the Sound
to the head of Lake Champlain, and embraces a
large proportion of the counties of Duchess,
Columbia, Rensselaer and Washington ; the latter
comprises the valley of the Hudson.
The Eastern district, though long and narrow,
is very constant in its character, features and pro-
ductions throughout its entire range. The soil,
resting upon the Taconic system of rocks,
consists of the debris of those rocks, which, ex-
tending far to the north, and in the direction of
the drift, have not changed its character. It is
finer than those derived from the primary rocks,
'BlodgeU's CHmatolosy, 345,343, JS!, 354.
t Prof J. Hyatt's Paper on The Periodic Distribution of the Rain-
fall at Certain Stations, read before the Poughkeepsie Society of
Natural Science-, Jan. l8, 1880.
X Census of 187S.
§ The Sunday Courier, gf Poughkeepsie, Oct 3t, 1880.
and possesses a superiority from the facility with
which finely divided matter absorbs the floating
gases of the atmosphere. Some difference exists
in its chemical composition ; and some of the
differences observed in crops are due to elevation,
combined with other causes necessarily connected
therewith. The Taconic range is composed of
slate, with a granular limestone at the east base
and a sparry limestone at the west base. All the
minor ridges have a direction parallel to the main
ridge dividing the States and a like composition ;
the limestones usually occupying the valleys as
well as the sides of the mountains further east.
West from the main range their height and steep-
ness diminish. There are no elevated plains. The
principal plains border the valley of the Hudson,
and are rather sandy, with an underlay of clay.
The arrangement of the hills in this district is
such as to favor vegetation, and to admit, even
invite, useful improvements in draining and irriga-
tion. Generally the slopes are gentle, but steeper
upon the west than the opposite side. The hills are
susceptible of cultivation to their summits, and are
not broken by the rugged and outcropping rocks.
Though these soils are by no means clayey, as
much alumina is frequently obtained from them as
from the tertiary clay. This is a good feature and,
in durable soil, one upon which mechanical fertili-
zation may be employed without annual loss.
Without excei)tion they contain less lime than is
requisite to form the best and most productive
kinds of land. The best materials for fertilizing
them are lime and peat, of each of which there is
an abundance. They should be composted, which
is the only way in which they can be usefully em-
ployed. Leached or unleached ashes are a useful
addition to this compost, inasmuch as there is a
deficiency of potash in the soil to meet the de-
mands of the cultivated crops.
The soils of the Taconic system are rarely
excessively leachy, but some are moderately so.
For a leachy soil it is proper to make a bulky ma-
nure, consisting of burnt clay, ashes, peat or organ-
ic matters, the whole of which is only moderately
soluble, but, when exposed in a porous soil, it re-
quires the influence of the air to bring it with suf-
ficient rapidity to a state fit for the consumption
of vegetables. In a close and compact soil,
the solubility of the manure may be greater; for
then it may be retained for the future use of plants,
if not required immediately.
What are called cold lands are not uncommon
in this district. They lie on the slopes of hills,
76
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
frequently 200 or 300 feet above the valleys. This
condition is produced by the agency of many
springs, which issue from the hillsides, and saturate
the earth with water, in the shape of small foun-
tains, which percolate through the soil and sub-soil
on their way to the valley below; but this evil may
be cured by draining, which is the most efficient
means of improving the soils in this district.
These soils require draining more frequently
than western ones, in consequence of the peculiar
structure of the underlying rock, which, in the
Taconic district, is invariably placed edgewise,
or at an angle varying from 15° to 30" ; and the
layers or strata are compacted so closely, that
water seldom or never finds its way into the rock,
and hence must pass through the soil ; and if this
is not very porous, the water passes off slowly, and
is frequently detained so long that the soil is most
of the time saturated with it.
Magnesia is a common element in the soils of
this district, and to this element Prof Emmons at-
tributes the excellence of the crops of corn, which,
he says, "is so much at home upon the gentle
slopes of this system." " At any rate," he adds,
"in no other district is this crop so perfect, so
sound and rich, as in Dutchess, Columbia, Rens-
selaer and Washington counties. Comparing this
crop in the eastern district with that of the west,
we unhesitatingly give preference to the former, as
being more thrifty and sounder in the kernel, and
better filled out. There is a limit, however, at
which maize ceases to ripen in this district. For
example, along the Taconic range between Massa-
chusetts and New York, at the height of about
t,ooo feet above tide, it dwindles to a short slender*
stalkj and yields but small tapering ears. This limit
is often marked by a line of frost during the cold
months, to which it very frequently descends, form-
ing a distinct icy line of congealed vapor upon the
forests, and upon the trees of the cultivated fields."*
The Hudson district is closely related to the
Eastern. Its slaty or shaly rocks, and sandstone
and limestone beds, furnish, when mixed, a soil
much Uke that of the Eastern district. There is,
however, more alluvial matter, broader meadows,
and a less undulating surface. Beneath the river
bottoms there reposes a stiff calcareous clay ; and
departing a Uttle from the river, and ascending its
sloping bank, we find sandy plains, which, however,
are underlaid with the same stiff clay, a marine de-
posit of modern date. No part of this district
*In 1874, Duchess ranked only forty-ninth in the average yield of In-
dian com per acre— 24.11— below the State average, which was 31.33
bushels.
rises into mountains. Steep bluffs are common,
but rarely exceed 300 feet in height. As an agri-
cultural district it is important; but it has been
longer cultivated, and hence is more exhausted
than the Eastern district.*
In the Hudson Valley we find the rocks and soil
of the lower part of the New York system, together
with a few granite, gneissoid, and hornblendic
boulders, but these constitute only a small propor-
tion of the matters composing the soil. From the
east rise of the valley west to the river, the bould-
ers and soil are derived from the Champlain group.
The soils in the valley differ in many respects from
those of the Taconic slate district. The slates
or shales are more decomposable, more calcareous,
and the beds of limestone are more extensive.
Hence we expect the soil contains more lime, and
is, in general, more favorable for agriculture. The
rocks, too, are less disturbed. This district con-
tains a distinct formation of clay and sand, which
imparts a pecuUar character to it, approximating
those of the west wheat district. This formation
gives a degree of stability to the soil which is not
possessed by the soils of the Taconic district.
But the principal difference between the soils of
this and the adjacent districts, consists in the fine-
ness of the former. The Taconic slates furnish
no small amount of the debris or soil; and the
Northern Highlands furnish their materials, though
less plentifully. The extensive beds of clay with
their accompanying sands, which form one of the
most important features of the district, are formed
from the detritus of the rocks of the Primary and
Champlain divisions, the Hudson River slates and
shales, decomposing and forming clay.
Argillaceous soils are improved by paring and
burning, the latter process converting their astrin-
gent salts of iron to the peroxide. By ignition, the
close texture ofthe clay becomes open and pervious;
some of the materials composing it become more
soluble; the color of the clay, which, by this pro-
cess becomes red, absorbs more heat; and we may
reasonably conclude that clays thus treated become
better absorbers of the nutritive gases, as ammonia
and carbonic acid.
Wheat t was once the great staple of production
* "Duchess," says Spafford, "took an early lead in the introduc-
tion of gypsum as a manure, with the most decided advantage." The
committee appointed to confer with the State Board of Equalization in
1880, stated, by way of argument, " that the county had been drawn away
upon the farmers' hay wagons."
t In l8js, Duchess county sent more than one-third of all thograin
shipped to New York city from the several counties ofthe State. Her
contribution was 838,043 bushels, while the aggregate quantity was
2,3°9i307 bushels. {.Gordon's Gazetteer a/ New York.) During the
year ending June i, 1840, there were ^,so^,^<^X bushels of grain raised
in the county, ( r/ie Sunday Courier, of Poughkeepsie, August 3, 1871 ;)
and in 1874, 1,513,007 bushels. (0»«« 1875,)
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIONS— COMPARATIVE STATISTICS.
77
of the Hudson Valley ; but it has ceased to be a
profitable crop, unless it be for family consump-
tion, in consequence of the essential losses the soil
has sustained in the successive croppings to which
it has been subjected.*
Agriculture is the leading branch of industry,
"but the prestige this county once had, by reason
of its nearness to New York, has passed away with
the improvements in transportation and the con-
stant drain upon its fertility, incident to the kind of
farming necessary to produce profitable results."!
The soil is adapted to a wide range of crops, but
there is not one, perhaps, that is peculiarly a char-
acteristic of the county ; yet it ranks high in the
gross value of its farm products. The gross sales
from its farms in 1874 amounted to $3,178,920;
which was exceeded by only nine other counties in
the State. The cereals, especially corn, oats and
rye, are produced abundantly; but wheat and buck-
wheat, less plentifully. Tobacco is quite extensive-
ly raised. Though not specifically a dairy county,
the butter made is large in quantity and excellent
in quality, while the production of milk for the
New York market is an important and leading
industry, especially in the eastern portion. For
this reason hay is a large and staple crop. Sheep
raising is an important industry in the eastern por-
tion of the county, but far less extensive than half
a century ago. Pork is a staple production. Fruit
of excellent quality is raised in large quantities,
and grapes, which are already successfully and ex-
tensively raised, are receiving increased attention,
especially in the Fishkills. The grapes from that
locality, says an article in the New York Herald,
in 1876, have "obtained an enviable reputation in
New York City." The same writer says, "The
finest grapes of out-door culture in the United
States are probably grown by Messrs. Van Wyck &
Johnson, at their vineyard back of Fishkill." In
cultivated area the county is excelled by only twelve
counties in the State ; in the cash value of its farms,
by only six ; in the value of farm buildings other
than dwellings, by only one ; in the value of stock,
by twelve ; in the value of tools and implements,
by twelve ; and in the cost of fertilizers used, by
eight.
The manufactories of the county, though not very
numerous, are some of them quite extensive and
valuable; but the disparity between agricultural
and mechanical pursuits is increasing to the detri-
* Natural History of New York, Part V., Agriculture, by E. Em-
mons, 6, 7, 213, i4J, ^ii-2S(>, 263, 326, 327-
t Report of Committee to Confer with State Board of Equalization,
Dec. 4, 1880.
ment of the latter. From 1870 to 1875 the num-
ber of manufacturing establishments in the county
decreased from 602 to 499 ;* nevertheless we may
fairly question if their value has materially de-
creased, though we have not the data at hand to
determine this. In 1836, the county ranked
second in its manufactories, being surpassed only
by Oneida County.f In 1832, it ranked third in
the State in the number of cotton mills, having
twelve, while Oneida had twenty and Rensselaer,
fifteen ; third, also, in the amount of capital in-
vested— $445,000 ; second in the number of spin-
dles in use — 17,690 ; third in the number of pounds
of cotton annually manufactured — 833,000 ; fourth
in the value of cloth produced — $1,952,000 ; fourth
in the number of pounds of yarn sold — 185,500;
second in the value of yarn and cloth produced —
$333,500; and second in the number of persons
sustained by said establishments — 1,974. It was
in the front rank in the number of manufactories
6 — (Orange County having the same number.)
The only three from which reports were received
employed a capital of $186,000, (while the six in
Orange County employed only $192,762 ;) and 197
operatives, (a number exceeded only by Rensselaer,
which reported five factories ;) paid wages amount-
ing to $42,179, (exceeding all others;) used 156,-
000 pounds of wool, (exceeding all others;) and
manufactured goods to the value of $196,250,
(exceeding all others.) It had three cupola and
air furnaces, making 855 tons of pig iron. Eleven
counties excelled it and three equaled it in num-
ber, while only four excelled it in production. It
had, also, one blast furnace, making 836 tons of
pig iron and 5 tons of castings. Six counties ex-
celled it in number, but none in quantity, if we
except Orange, which included also the blast fur-
nace at Cold Spring, Putnam County. It employed
in these iron industries 295 persons, who had 967
dependents.^ In 1880, the county produced 61,-
637 tons (of 2,000 pounds each) of all kinds of
pig iron,§
In 1880, the assessed valuation of real estate
was $36,045,422 ; assessed valuation of personal
property, $6,217,232; the indebtedness of the
county for which bonds had been issued, $277,-
000; total indebtedness of county and city, ex-
clusive of school districts, $2,345,947.70. ||
* Censits of 187s.
+ Gordon^ s Gazetteer of the State of New York., 425.
Xlhid, 336, 337-
§ Letter of James M. Swank, Philadelphia, Secretary American Iron
and Steel Association, and Special Census Agent to Collect Iron and Steel
Statistics.
II Census of 1880.
78
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
CHAPTER X.
Geology — Underlying Rocks of Duchess
County — Rocks of the Champlain Division
Rocks of the Hudson River Group — Grit
AND Slate Rocks— Utica Slate Group-
Trenton Limestone Group — Black River
Limestone — Calciferous Group — Barnegat
Limestone — Roofing Slate — The Taconic
System — Metamorphic Rocks — Dolomitic
AND Granular Limestone — Duchess County
Marble — The "Stone Church" — Stea-
tite—Iron Ore Abundant and of Good
Quality — Galena — Copper — Silver — Gold
— Primary Rocks — Granite — Hornblende —
SiENiTE — Gneiss — Mica Slate — Augite Rock
— Greenstone — Alluvial Deposits — Shell
Marl — Peat — Sink Holes— "Spook Hole"
— Clay Balls and Calcareous Concretions —
Mineral Springs — Gas Springs — Subterra-
nean Streams — Inflammable Gas — Sulphate
of Iron — Bog Ore — Manufacturers of
Bricks — Topographical Changes— Drift De-
posits—Smoothed AND Scratched Surfaces
of Rocks — What They Indicate.
THE underlying rocks of Duchess county are
classed in the Geological Reports as the
metamorphic rocks of the Primary system and the
Champlain division of the New York system. The
former occupy a narrow belt along the east border
of the county ; the latter extend thence west to the
Hudson River and beyond it. Rocks similar in
character to the Shawangunk grit, and the inter-
stratified and overlying red rocks, range north
through the county from Fishkill, near Matteawan ;
and Prof Rodgers, though doubtful about the geo-
logical age of this formation, inchnes to the opinion
that it is equivalent to the new red sandstones,
which are associated with trappean rocks in this
State ; though Prof Mather, assuming their identi-
ty with the rocks they resemble, infers for them a
greater age. These red grit rocks, like those they
resemble to the south, are in a highly inclined po-
sition, often vertical ; and were observed in hun-
dreds of localities in this county and those north
of it to Vermont.
The rocks of the Champlain division consist of a
series of slates, shales, grits, Hmestones and siliceous
and calcareous breccias and conglomerates. Some
plutonic rocks which have been intruded among
them have modified their aspect in many places,
and formed metamorphic rocks. Along their east-
ern line of outcrop these strata have been much
deranged in position since their deposition, having
been broken up and tilted at various angles, bent,
wrinkled and contorted in almost every conceiva-
ble manner, and elevated into hills and mountain
chains.
The rocks of the Hudson River group occupy a
large part of Duchess county. They are mostly
slates, shales, and grey, slaty and thick-bedded
grits. The slates and shales are generally dark-
brown, blue and black ; the grits are grey, greenish
and bluish-grey. They are stratified and conform-
able, alternating a great number of times without
regularity. Prof. Mather, from insufficient data,
said they contained few fossils except fucoids, and
such, until recently, has been supposed to be the
fact. But investigations made by Mr. T. N. Dale,
Jr., in the spring of 1878, and subsequently by
Prof. J. D. Dana, Mr. R. P. Whitfield, Curator of
Geology in the American Museum of Natural His-
tory, New York city, and Prof. W. B. Dwight, of
Vassar College, has shown them to be highly fos-
sihferous, and resulted in " the determination by
paleontological evidence of the Hudson River
group in the slates, and the calciferous chazy and
Trenton groups among the limestones. These re-
sults substantially confirm in general the views of
Mather, and the earlier views of Prof Hall, as to
the horizon of these rocks, though the particular
distribution and relative positions of these various
formations when fully explored and mapped out,
will be found to differ considerably from any pre-
vious conceptions."*
The rocks of the Hudson River group, and of
nearly all the Champlain division, are remarkably
well developed in this county. They are well, ex-
posed to view, and capable of rigid examination
and identification on the rocky shore of the Hud-
son from the mouth of Ancram creek to Red Hook;
the rocky islands below Red Hook Landing ; and
from Red Hook Landing to Barnegat (now Clinton)
Point. They range through the towns of Red
Hook, Milan, Rhinebeck, Clinton, Hyde Park,
Pleasant Valley, Poughkeepsie, La Grange and
Wappinger. The grits, shales and slates, which
are mostly composed of fragments of the lower
rocks of the Champlain division, are interstratified,
alternating a number of times. Most of the grits
are calciferous and effervesce slightly with a strong
acid when taken from a sound rock that has not
been exposed to weathering. The coarse greenish
grit that occupies so prominent a place in Rens-
* The results of some Recent PaleontologicaZ Ixacstigations in the
Vicinity of Poughkeepsie, by Prof. W. B. Dwight, read before the
Poughkeepsie Society of Natural Sdence, April 21, 1880.
ROCKS OF THE HUDSON RIVER GROUP.
79
selaer county becomes finer farther south and forms
a mountain mass extending through the five towns
first naniied. Veins of quartz abound in this rock,
which has an aspect almost trappean ; also, more
or less abundantly, in all the rocks of this group ;
but more frequently it is only the proper joinis that
are filled with quartz and calcareous spar. Rocks
that have formerly been called greywacke, varying
in texture from an argillaceous slate to a sand-
stone, succeed the Umestone of the Fishkill valley
about three-fourths of a mile from the village of
Fishkill, on the old post-road from New York to
Albany. The dip is generally east-south-east from
ten to fifteen degrees, but at Wappinger Creek it
is nearly vertical. Some quarries of the grit rock,
which is easily quarried into rhombic blocks and
fragments, have been opened along the road for
wall stone.
The grit and slate rocks of this group are seen
abundantly in places three miles south of Pough-
keepsie, on the post-road, and continue to be seen
at intervals, emerging in ridges and hillocks through
the quarternary formation, in Hyde Park, Rhine-
beck and Red Hook. They are frequently inter-
stratified with shales and sometimes with lime-
stone and other rocks.
The strata dip at various angles from eight to
ninety degrees,'' generally to the east-south-east,
but in some places to the north-east, and even to
the north. The latter are local variations, due
in most if not all cases, to derangements of the
strata along the transverse axes of disturbance.
An exposure of these rocks between Lower Red
Hook village and the landing, three-fourths of a
mile, and again one mile from the village, showed
well characterized drift scratches, the surface being
otherwise smoothed off as if ground down by attri-
tion. In these, as well as many other locaUties in
this vicinity, the dip was eastwardly at a high angle.
Singular contortions of these rocks may be seen on
the shore a few rods below the landing. , The rocks
are bent and folded and packed together in such a
way as cannot be easily described or represented.
The strata are nearly vertical, and bent into regular
and irregular curves and folds. The grit rocks, in
stratafrora six to twelve inches in thickness, are in-
terstratified with slaty grits and slate. A hundred
yards below the Lower Red Hook landing, the
grit rock is seen nearly vertical, immediately over-
laid by nearly horizontal slate. The strata are
very beautifully exposed to view between Red Hook
and Rhinebeck landings on the shore of the Hud-
son and the small rocky islands near it. Smoothed
and scratched surfaces may be seen where the over-
ling clay has recently been removed from the
rock. One locality was observed about two miles
south of Red Hook landing, where two distinct
sets of scratches were engraved on the rock, with
directions of south ten degrees west and south
twenty degrees west. The smoothed or scratched
grit or greywacke was seen between Rhinebeck
landing and village, west of the ridge of naked grit
rock that paves the road west of the creek ; also at
several places on the Rhinebeck and Pine Plains
turnpike; and two and three-fourths miles from
Lower Red Hook village, on the road to Long
Pond. A quarry of flagging and building stone
has been opened about half a mile east of the lat-
ter village in the slaty grits of this group. The
stone is easily quarried in slabs of five to fifty feet
square and three to eight inches thick.
A broken rocky ridge of grit and slaty grit, in-
terstratified with slate, extends from near Rhine-
beck, by Hyde Park, to near Poughkeepsie, and is
exposed in many places along the east side of the
old post-road. The dip of the rock is eastwardly,
generally east-south-east, at very variable angles
from forty to ninety degrees. At Lewisville, .oppo-
site Lewis' landing, the strata are vertical.
The smoothed and scratched greywacke and
grit was observed on the ridges of Hyde Park; and
about half a mile east of the post road opposite to
half a mile north of De Graffs tavern, the grooves
and scratches, which were perfectly similar in size,
depth and direction, were interrupted by shps or
slight faults of the rock of more recent origin.
Prof. Cassels observed them in several places in
that vicinity.
Flagging stones have been quarried from the
slaty grits in Hyde Park. The rocks are well ex-
posed between Hyde Park village and landing,
and along the shore from the landing for some
^distance north. The grit, composed of distinct
particles of slate in addition to the usual materials,
is interstratified with a fissile slate, almost like
roofing slate, on this shore a little above the land-
ing. The long narrow island and several smaller
ones between Hyde Park and Lewis' landing
offer fine exposures of the grits and slaty grits.
Below Barrytown are two long, narrow, rocky
islands called Magdalen, on which the strata are
well exposed to view, dipping as usual to the east,
south-east, or more nearly east at high angles.
About a mile below Rhinebeck landing, thick
layers of grit are interstratified with slate, and
contorted. A few rods above this locahty nodules
8o
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
of argillaceous iron ore were observed embedded
in the slate.
The fossils discovered by Mr. Dale in the Hud-
son River slates in Marlborough Mountain, on the
west bank of the Hudson, opposite of Poughkeep-
sie, were identified by Prof. Hall, State Geologist,
as the brachiopods, Orthis testudinaria, Leptarna
sericea, Orthis pectinella, Stophomena alternata
the gasteropod, Bellerophon bilobatus, and the
fucoid, Buthotrephis subnodosa. " These fossils,"
says Prof. Dwight, " are all common both to the
Trenton and the Hudson River groups, except the
Orthis pectinella, which has hitherto been unknown
in the Hudson River shale. They therefore defi-
nitely fix the age of these slates as belonging to
some member of the Trenton period and, under
all the circumstances, are generally accepted as
indicating the highest strata in that period, the
Hudson River group.".
The rocks of the Utica Slate group, which Prof.
Mather classifies as a member of the Champlain
division, consist of dark-colored argillaceous slates
of several varieties, which may generally be dis-
tinguished by their color, and form a large propor-
tion of the slate of the Hudson Valley. They
range from Vermont to New Jersey, and are well
exhibited to view on the banks of the Hudson at
Fishkill landing and at Poughkeepsie.
The slate of this group is highly carbonaceous
and contains thin seams and fragments of anthra-
cite. This has led to the delusive hope that coal
in greater quantity exists in its locality, and some
places where excavations for coal have been made
are very apt to deceive those who are not profes-
sional geologists and mineralogists. Small layers
and lumps of anthracite are actually seen, and the
fragments of rock present an appearance some-
what similar to the carbonaceous matter near the
outcropping edges of beds of anthracite. In some
localities vegetable remains are found. Near
Poughkeepsie a well was bored to a depth of two
hundred feet in search of coal ; and in its vicinity
ten or twelve excavations have been made and
$5,000 to $6,000 expended, in this object. A
large piece of anthracite is said to have been
found at the mouth of Wappinger Creek nearly
ninety years ago. On the Annan farm in Fishkill
an excavation was made in black slate glazed with
anthracite in expectation that coal would be found.
The locality is at the base of the Highlands, near
the junction of the granite and slate rocks, and
has, says Prof. Mather, in his report of 1843,
" been called the coal mine for a century." It is
he adds, more likely to deceive those not familiar
with coal regions than any he had seen, except
those at Hudson and Rider's mill in Chatham.
Even as late as 1878, and probably to this day,
the hope of finding coal in these slates was strongly
entertained. A specimen of coal dug that year on
the farm of Michael Herman, a short djstance
from Pleasant Valley, about sixteen feet below the
surface, was supposed to indicate a valuable
deposit of that combustible. Subsequent exami-
nation, during the same summer, led to the dis-
covery of a "three-feet vein of anthracite coal," at
a depth of twenty-four feet, and evoked from a
local journal the asseveration, "that there is coal
in Duchess county in quantities to pay for mining
is a settled fact."* Toward the close of the late
war the search for petroleum was prosecuted in
Fishkill with considerable, energy. The Hudson
River Petroleum Company, composed of "the
most prominent, wealthy and enterprising men of
that vicinity," was formed with a capital of $600,-
000, and pipes drove at Glenham to a depth of 150
feet when a section, having been driven through
several boulders, was crushed, and operations dis-
continued. Another well was started near the
base of the mountains.f
About three and one-fourth miles north-west of
Lower Red Hook on the road near the^Nathan
Beckwith farm, is a ridge of black sihceous slate,
in some of the loose masses of which copper
pyrites was rather abundantly disseminated. The
same kind of rock was seen in place on the next
swell of land to the west, and in several places
between Lower Red Hook and Clermont.
The rocks of the Trenton Limestone group are
limestones and shales alternating with each other.
Some of the strata abound in fossils which are
peculiar in character and distinguish the group
from others higher in the geological series. The
group thins out from west to east or is mostly
replaced by the associated slates. The limestone
is generally dark colored, compact or sub-crystalline,
sometimes slaty, at times it occurs in strata two
to four feet thick, separated by thin layers of black
slate. Some of the strata are replete with fossil
remains; others are nearly destitute of them.
Some of the thick strata are easily sawed and pol-
ished, and make a beautiful black marble, others
contain hornstone and chert in small nodules or
irregular masses, that render it useless for such
* The Pmghktetsii Weekly Eagle, May 4th, 1878, and July 2a,
1878.— rfe Rhinebeck Gazette, 1878.
t The Fishkill Standard, 1864. The Poughkeepsie Eagle, Dec. 23.
1864 ; June 16, 1865 ; and August S, 1855.
BLACK RIVER LIMESTONE— CALCIFEROUS ROCKS.
8i
purposes. The rocks of the group occur on the
banks of the Hudson, about one and one-fourth to
one and one-half miles above Clinton Point. They
are slate or slaty altered limestones, that would
not be recognized as limestone without flose exami-
nation. The strata dip at a high angle to the east,
like all the rocks in the vicinity. Among the fos-
sils of this group are the Isotelus gigas, Calymene
senaria, Cryptolithus tessellatus, Favosites lyco-
podites and several other species, several species of
Crinoidea, Orthocera striatum, Orthocera duplex
( C,) Trocholites ammonius ( C,) and several other
species, Bellerophon apertus, Strophomena alter-
naia, S. semiovalis, S. deltoidea, Delthyris microp-
tera, Atrypa glabella, Orthis testudinaria.
The Black River Limestone is more extensively
developed in the district than the Trenton Lime-
stone. It is found not only in continuous strata,
but in numerous limited patches. It is one of the
most durable and valuable stones for buildings,
locks, bridges and aqueducts, and is easily quarried
and dressed. The limestone beds in Milan which
are supposed to belong to this group, form a sur-
face mass one htmdred to two hundred yards in
width, which is crossed by the Pine Plains and
Rhinebeck turnpike, one and three-fourths miles
west of LaFayette Corners. It is compact, fine-
grained, sub-crystalline, and much is more or less
" sparry," in consequence of its being traversed by
veins. A similar limestone is found in the eastern
part of Red Hook and in Clinton, ranging through
the western part of Milan. The limestone near
Lithgow on the road from Poughkeepsie and Amenia
is another example. Another similar limestone,
but blacker, occurs on the same road about a mile
from Washington Hollow. The limestones near
Fishkill, Matteawan, Sprout Creek, Poughquaick,
etc., are further examples. These limestones in
FishkiH, Beekman, Pleasant Valley and Washing-
ton are more or less altered by metamorphic action.
Conglomerate limestone, some blocks of which
were nearly black, intersected by white and yellow
veins, was observed in Clinton, and brecciated
limestone in the eastern part of Rhinebeck.
Numerous other localities of conglomerate and
brecciated limestone were observed.
The Calciferous group of rocks is intermediate in
composition, as it is in age, between the Trenton
and Black River (or Mohawk,) limestones and
the Potsdam sandstone. The rocks are cal-
careo-siliceous, and sometimes one and some-
times the other predominates and gives character
to them. The water-lined laminge of deposi-
tion are very conspicuous in some of the
strata of calciferous sandstone. The rocks of this
group occupy a long narrow belt, extending from
Clinton Point through Poughkeepsie, Pleasant Val-
ley, Stanford and Pine Plains. The first continu-
ous range of this Umestone of much magnitude in
the district is seen at Bamegat, where it crosses the
Hudson, and from this fact it received the dis-
tinctive name of Bamegat Limestone. Wappin-
ger Creek forms its eastern boundary at Attlebury.
It crosses the valley of Pine Plains under the great
peat and marl marsh and Stissing Pond. It varies
in its character from a sandy, granular, sub-crystal-
line texture, to a perfect compact limestone, with
a conchoidal fracture. It is usually gray, granular
and sub-crystalline, with grains of sand and minute
quartz crystals disseminated. Small cavities lined
with quartz crystals are common. It is sometimes
distinctly stratified, and even slaty near its junc-
tion with the slate rocks, but frequently its beds are
so thick, and the masses of the ledges so broken
that scarcely any traces of stratification are visible.
It was formerly important in consequence of its
extensive application to the manufacture of lime,
at and near Bamegat, where six, ten and even
twenty* kilns are said to have been in operation. In
1843, there were six kilns which were kept constantly
burning during the period of river navigation, and
produced 720,000 bushels per annum. There were
numerous other kilns in the county the aggregate
annual product of which was then estimated to be
1,500,000 bushels. This lime was shipped mostly
to New Jersey and applied to the sandy soils of
that State proved a valuable fertilizer. The busi-
ness in this county has declined, and for the last
six years no lime has been burned at Barnegat.
These rocks, in which Prof. Mather says he was
unable to detect a trace of fossil remains, and that
Prof. Briggs discovered faint traces of shells, but
too imperfect for determination, the more recent
and careful investigation by Professors Dana and
Dwight proved to be highly fossiUferous ; and
among the specimen fossils '• were a number in a
state of preservation sufficiently distinct to fix in-
contestably the age of the rock as that of the Tren-
ton epoch." In the spring of 1879, Professors
Dana and Dwight visited the little quarry on the
creek half a mile south-east of Pleasant Valley,
where, nearly forty years before, the labors of Prof
Briggs had been rewarded with such meager results,
and found the following fossils: Cyathophylloid
corals, and several species of Crinoids, the latter
* Gordon's Gazetteer of the State of New Yerlt, (1836) 433.
82
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
in abundance; Orthis testudinaria, Orthis tricen-
aria, Orthis jmiceum, and what were apparently
fragments of Trilobites and also of the Brachiopod,
Strophomena alternata. There were also masses
of rock filled, apparently, with small rounded
pebbles, which, on subsequent slicing, proved to be
a Chcetetes coral of remarkably minute structure.
At Rochdale, on the premises of Mr. Henry Titus,
they found the same fossils as at Pleasant Valley^
and in addition a great many specimens of a very
singular and doubtless new fossil which appears to
resemble most closely those organisms so httle un-
derstood, which are called receptaculites. During
several visits to the latter place that summer.
Prof. Dwight found abundant specimens of Stro-
phomena alternata, Orthis pectinella, one En-
doceras twenty to twenty-five centimeters in length,
one Escharapora recta, one Ptilodictya acuta, a
pygidium of a Calymene Trilobite, and several speci-
mens which were probably Petriaia corniculutn,
besides additional individuals of fossils previously
mentioned. He also found that the fine Chatetes
mentioned existed in profusion in the rock. At
Manchester he found a large slab covered with a
beautiful fucoid, probably Buthothrepis gracilis.
At Wallace's quarry, one and one-fourth miles be-
low Salt Point, and in several cuts on the railroad
between that place and Pleasant Valley, he found
an entirely new set of fossils, and in a rock of quite
different appearance from that at Rochdale and
Pleasant Valley, there were great numbers of
univalve discoidel shells sometimes intermixed with
fucoids. There were also small Orthocerata, but
an entire lack of the various species found at the
other localities.
The fine Chcetefes compacta, and the large
crinoid Cleiocrinus magnificus, the latter of which
was found by Prof. Dwight near Newburgh, were
never before found in the State nor south > of
Canada.
Roofing slate* is an altered rock, intermediate in
character, hke its associates, between the rocks
described under the Champlain division and those
to be describedunder the " Taconic " system. The
rock and its associates, which are similar to those
already described under the Champlain division,
are penetrated by quartz veins in great numbers,
and by interlaminations of quartz. It ranges from
Vermont through Washington, Rensselaer, Colum-
*Roofing slate has been quarried in various places in the county ; and
at least two companies have been formed for that purpose : the New
Tfork Slate Co., incorporated March 2jd, iSlo, to continue fifteen years ;
and the Duchess Co. Slate Co., incorporated June 8, iSu, to continue
twenty-one years. The operations of the latter company were to be con-
fined to North East.— J^VsMcAV Gazetteer of New York, iSyj.
bia. Duchess, Ulster and Orange counties to New
Jersey and Pennsylvania, and is quarried for roof
slate in many places, but not in this county.
The Taconic* system consists of slates, lime-
stones and granular quartz rocks, which form a
belt of mountainous and hilly country, of which the
eastern and southern portions of this coimty form
a part. The strike and dip of the rocks are in the
same directions as those of the Champlain di-
vision, and apparently overlie them. The dip is to
the east, east-south-east, and east-north-east, at
angles varying from fifteen to ninety degrees. Al-
though the rocks all dip in the same general direc-
tion, similar strata at no great distance are fre-
quently reversed in their relative order of superpo-
sition. This is more frequently observed on the
opposite sides of ridges, hills and mountains. The
talcose slates of this syst^ are not confined to the
belt described, but local patches are found in many
places. The rocks of the system are more or less
distinctly characterized when they approach to
gneiss and granite and when quartz has been in-
truded most abundantly among them. When the
exact order of superposition of these rocks and the
primary can be examined, it is found that the gran-
ular quartz either rests upon, or pitches immedi-
ately under, the gneiss or granite rocks ; that the
limestones lie next in order to the gneiss or granite,
either in super or sub-position and that the slates
next follow. The observer may find much diffi-
culty in verifying this, as the rocks are almost uni-
versally much deranged from the position in which
they were deposited. The connection may be
traced on the south-west side of Mt. Stissing in
Pine Plains and Stanford.
The sandstones of the Taconic system are grey,
reddish, striped and white, and all are very hard,
tough, indurated quartzose.rocks. , The hmestones
are grey and black, compact in some -places j
crystalline, grey, and sparry or checkered in others ;
and not unfrequently granular, whitish and crystal-
line. The same continuous rock has undergone
these changes at different localities, in proportion
as it has been more or less subjected to the influ-
ences that have modified it. The slate rock has
undergone as great changes. It varies from argil-
laceous slate, through graphic, plumbaginous,
* This name, given by Prof Emmons to designate the rocks forming the
Williamstown Mountain, which are very peculiar in their aspect, but
blend in to the Champlain division on the one hand, and into the Pri-
mary rocks on the other, is variously spelled; but we follow both%e orthog-
raphy and classification of Prof Mather ; though Prof Dwight says the
recently' discovered fossils within this county "are so many proofs that
there is no Taconic system in geological history, as far at least as this its
original and typical seat in the Taghkanic Mountains is concerned."
SLATE FORMATIONS.
83
chlorite and talcose slate. Modifications of the
latter two are most common, sometimes mingled
with blue, green, red and mottled slates. It is
more or less permeated by veins and branches of
milky quartz, which often contains chlorite and
brown spar disseminated in bunches.
A mountain mass of Taconic rocks ranges
through Ancram to the east part of Pine Plains,
the west part of North East, and the north-west
part of Amenia. The north part, in Ancram, is
called Winchell Mountain. It is composed of
slate, talcy slate and chloritic slates, and is inter-
sected by numerous veins of quartz. Limestone
ranges along the base of the mountain on both
sides. It is generally grey and blue, though in
some places at the east base it is white. About
one and a half miles north-west from the gate,
which is on the mountain west of Amenia, the slate
is chloritic, and is soon succeeded, as we approach
the " City "* by talcose slate. A short distance
north of the "City," the rocks are much broken
up, and are talcy slate and talcy limestone. Both
rocks contain cubic crystals of iron pyrites. The
bluish grey and clouded hmestone soon succeeds
on the west, apparently pitching under the talcy
slate. In some places this limestone was checked
by veins of carbonate of lime and quartz. Lime-
stone was seen in places from thence to Pine Plains,
except at a place where the road crosses a small
stream about half or three-fourths of a mile east of
the Quaker meeting-house, and here slate was seen
in place. A mass of alternating slate and lime-
stone enters the town of Pine Plains from Ancram.
Some of the slate is black with carbon, (graphic
slate,) and in places plumbaginous. The limestone
is grey and subgranular, blue and compact, and
sparry.
On the route from Amenia, through the central
and west parts of North East towards Pine Plains,
Prof. Merrick observed masses of talcose slate
firmly adhering to the hmestone, but in no case
penetrating it; and talcose slate a httle farther
west, dipping so as apparently, but not really, to
plunge under the limestone. This locality is on
the Worster Wheeler farm, about one and a half
miles south-east of the village of North East. The
limestone is grey, variegated and granular, and
would make a beautiful clouded marble. About a
mile north-west of Wheeler's, well characterized
mica slate was observed in the hill on the east, and
talco-argillaceous slate on the west side of the
road. About half a mile farther west he observed
* The " City " is a small post village in the north-west part of Amenia.
a ridge of limestone dipping to the west. About
one and a half miles north-west of North East vil-
lage near a small stream, the talcose slate and
limestone were observed to alternate twice. The
actual junction, where the rocks were firmly
cemented together, was observed in one place. A
similar junction of the talcose slate and limestone
was observed in North East, where the road crosses
the outlet of Indian Pond. A few rods east and
south-east of the Amenia ore bed, the slaty lime-
stone is seen superposed on the talcy slate. On
the summit of the mountain in North East, where
the Sharon road intersects that from Amenia to
Pine Plains, the rock is slightly talcy. Soon after
leaving the base of the mountain, the limestone
was observed to be abundant. On the east side of
the mountain it alternates with the slate, which is
variable in character, in some places being talcy, in
others like roof slate. Nearly opposite the Episco-
pal church, a half mile north of Lithgow, in Wash-
ington, the sparry hmestone was observed several
rods in width, dipping to the east and ranging
south thirty degrees west. At the " City " the rock
is talco-argillaceous slate ; and about a hundred
rods west of this place is an old mine hole, reputed
to be a copper mine, but Prof Cassels reported
that the copper ore, if any had been obtained there,
must have been in very small quantity. The exca-
vation is in the talco-argillaceous slate, traversed
by veins of milky quartz.
Pine Plains is situated on the quartemary, and un-
derlaid by the slate rocks ; but the sparry limestone
forms a ridge called Mill Hill, a Httle east of the
village, and this is the prevailing rock, alternating,
however, with slate, for three to three and a half
miles towards the Salisbury ore bed. It is suc-
ceeded by the slate of Winchell's Mountain, which
is talco-argillaceous, and in some cases micaceous.
The slate dips to the east at a high angle. Lime-
stone succeeds the slate for a short distance a little
east of Pulver's Corners, and alternates several
times between that and the Salisbury ore bed; but
the most important are at Spericer's Corners, and
at the brook by the hne between New York and
Connecticut, on the turnpike. The slate of Winch-
ell's Mountain is very fissile, talcy, micaceous
and argillaceous, frequently colored, and more or
less loaded with plumbago. The limestone about
Pine Plains seems to divide into two branches, one
of which ranges by the south end of Mt. Stissing,
(where it is underlaid by the Potsdam sandstone
resting on gneiss,) down Wappinger Creek to
Barnegat ; the other up the valley of Shekomeko
84
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
Creek, through the west part of North East, the
west part of Amenia, the east part of Washington,
by Lithgow and Mabbittsville, and down the Clove,
through Union Vale and Beeknian into Fishkill.
Another branch ranges from Stanford through
Washington, to half a mile south of'Verbank in
Union Vale, to Poughquaick in Beekman, and
thence down Fishkill Creek to Matteawan. In
many places near the mica slate and gneiss of the
Chestnut ridge, (which is the southern extension of
Winchell's Mountain towards the Highlands,) and
especially in the low valleys, the limestone is altered
to a grey and white granular limestone, more or less
dolomitic, like that of the Dover and Oblong valley
east of Chestnut Ridge and Winchell's Mountain.
About a quarter of a mile south-east of Pulver's
Corners in Pine Plains, on the east side of Winch-
ell's Mountain, the junction of the slate and sparry
limestone was observed. Both dipped sHghtly to
the west, the slate being on the west side. A
quarry of talco-argillaceous slate containing cubic
cavities in which crystals of pyrites have been em-
bedded, was seen on the east side of Winchell's
Mountain, about a quarter of a mile north of Pul-
ver's Corners. The rock of this quarry is used for
the lining of furnaces, and when laid with the edges
to the inside of the stack, resists the heat almost
as well as fire bricks. Prof. Merrick observed a
slaty and talcy limestone at the base of a hill a lit-
tle west of the village of Separate, in Amenia.
Talco-micaceous slate lies next on the east, and
talco-argillaceous on the west, traversed by veins
of quartz. The fragments of quartz are very much
scattered over the surface. The talco-argillaceous
slate becomes less talcy on the west, and forms the
range of hills in the east part of Stanford. The
rock is very much contorted. A few rods west of
Thompson's pond, he observed limestone which he
believed would make a fine clouded marble, but
only a small area of the rock was exposed.
The granular quartz rock at the south-west end
of Mount Stissing may, from its modified character,
be considered as belonging to the Taconic rocks.
It is nearly horizontal in position, reposing on
gneiss at the base of Mount Stissing, and is overlaid
by the Barnegat limestone, and that by the slate
rocks of the west side of the mountain. It re-
sembles gneiss at a little distance, but is a hard,
closed-grained sihceous grit rock. Another mass
of this rock was mentioned by Walter Reynolds,
of Pine Plains, and said to cross the limestone
ridge obliquely a short distance south-east of Pine
Plains.
The ridge dividing Washington and Pleasant
Valley has breccia and sparry limestone on its west
base, and red slate a little further to the west. It
ranges so into La Grange. Talcy slate was also
observed by Prof. Merrick a little east of Verbank,
and he considered it an extension of that observed
in the south-east corner of Stanford ; also sparry
Umestone a half mile east of Mabbittsville, and
talcy slate two and a half miles east of that village.
The slate in the ridges passing through the east
part of Stanford, the middle and west parts of
Washington, and along the Une between Union
Vale and La Grange, is very much traversed and
intersected by veins of quartz, and is contorted.
The outcropping edges are waving. Extensive
excavations are said to have been made in these
rocks in the north-east part of La Grange during
the latter part of the eigli'teenth century in search
of silver ; and, although there were marvelous
reports of the quantities obtained, no traces of any
metal were observed but pyrites.
Talcy limestone was observed in places about a
quarter of a mile west of Hopewell. White lime-
stone, that would make a good marble, was seen
about a mile west of Poughquaick. Limestone is
the most common rock seen emfrging through the
-extensive quarternary plains of Fishkill, and in
many places it assumes the aspect of what has been
habitually called primitive limestone, but it is the
same as that generally found in this valley, which
has been traced in modified forms from a compact
and sandy limestone to a white marble, from
Vermont to the Highlands. About a mile and a
half above Matteawan, near the creek, the lime-
stone seemed to repose on granite. It was on the
east side of the granite, dipping to the east, and
the granite was succeeded on the west by red and
green slates that seemed to pitch under it towards
the east. The direction of the granite and asso-
ciated rocks was parallel to the creek for some
distance, forming a low ridge, which finally crosses
the stream about a quarter of a mile from the
bridge. The strike is north fifty degrees east.
The red and green slates are red and green in the
same continuous layers, and the colors are probably
due to the different degrees of oxidation of iron in
the different parts of the rock. Near Matteawan^
also, the granite, and red, green and black shales
were observed. About a mile east of Stormville,
the limestone of the Fishkill valley is succeeded by
the granite and gneissoid rocks of the Highlands.
Patches of limestone, however, ' like that of the
valley, were occasionally seen on the mountains
METAMORPHIC ROCKS.
8S
farther east. The dip of the primary rocks was
sixty to eighty degrees eastwardly, and the strike
north forty-five to sixty degrees east.
Metamorphic rocks include such as present evi-
dence which renders it highly probable that they
were originally sedimentary, but have been altered
in their character, so as to change them into such
as have usually been called primary. In those of
this portion of the first district, the limestones are
granular, dolomitized and stratified; the slates are
talco-argillaceous, talcose, chloritic, or micaceous,
the latter predominating, and the sandstones are
changed to granular quartz rock, eurite and gneiss.
The intrusive rocks bear but a small proportion to
the altered rocks, and are mostly quartz and
granite. These rocks range from Bennington and
Shaftsbury in Vermont, in a direction about south,
through the west part of Massachusetts and Con-
necticut and the east part of New York, in the
counties of Duchess, Putnam, Westchester and New
York, to Long Island Sound and Hudson River.
Between the Taconic rocks and the Metamorphic
rocks to the east of them, no well-marked line of
distinction can be drawn, as they blend into each
other by insensible shades of difference. The
strata of the metamorphic rocks are very much
broken, so that no stratum has been traced con-
tinuously for more than a few miles.
These rocks enter the State in the north-east
corner of this county from the south end of Mt.
Washington, the mica slate from which crosses the
valley of Oblong Creek very obUquely ; also the
mountain called Chestnut Ridge, south of Amenia,
and Winchell's Mountain north of that place. The
mica slate occupies about half the breadth of
the mountain west of Amenia, on the turnpike
from that place to Poughkeepsie, and it forms
most of the same mountain to the Highlands, as
the west boundary of the Oblong and Dover valleys.
On the east of this range of mica slate, (which
rnerges on the west into talcy and talco-argillaceous
slate,) the rocks are almost entirely of mica slate,
crystalline, white and grey dolomitic Umestones, and
quartz rock, eastward to the gneiss rocks near the,
Housatonic.
In some places garnets and crystals of staurotide
are found in the mica slate, but they are not com-
mon, and more frequently it shows a talco-argilla-
ceous character in New York, indicative of its origin,
except in the Highlands and farther south. Near
the line between North East and Salisbury, the
talco-micaceous slate and whitish Umestone were
observed, and a little farther east the mica slate was
well characterized and contained garnets and some
crystals of staurotide. The rocks dipped rapidly
to the eastward. At the Indian Pond ore bed,
white and grey limestone apparently underlies, and
mica slate overlies the ore. These rocks dip sixty
to seventy degrees to the eastward. The moun-
tain near and south-west of Leedsville is composed
of mica slate and limestone, and both dip to the
east at a high angle. Nearly all the rock seen in
place between that mountain and Amenia was lime-
stone, always highly inclined to the east, and some-
times almost vertical. It is generally white or grey
and granular. At the Amenia ore bed, white lime-
stone was seen in place a few rods to the west, and
talco-micaceous slate on the east, the latter over-
laid by bluish and sandy Umestone. At the Deep-
Hollow furnace, two and a half miles south of
Amenia, the rock is mica slate, somewhat talcy.
Limestone succeeds the mica slate on the east side
of the valley opposite the furnace, and this is suc-
ceeded farther east by mica slate. These rocks
form the mountain which here terminates on the
south, and extends northward to a little west of
Leedsville, becoming very low to the riorth-east of
Amenia Seminary. The limestone is quarried a
little east of the furnace and used as a flux in
smelting the ore. The rock is white and lies in
nearly vertical strata. Between the Deep-Hollow
furnace and the steel works farther to the south-
east, the rock is mica slate, and is succeeded on
the east by white and grey granular Umestone.
The Umestone was seen in place from near KUne's
Corners, in the south-east part of Amenia, and
thence at frequent intervals to Leedsville. Much
of it is very white and massive. There seems to
be main ranges of the white limestone in the valley
east of the Chestnut ridge. One ranges down the
west branch of the vaUey from North East by
Amenia Seminary and Deep-Hollow furnace;
thence south to two miles north of Dover Plains ;
thence by Dover Plains, cropping out at intervals
in low ridges and hummocks through the quarter-
nary of the Dover valley. The other ranges down
the Oblong valley in Sharon and Amenia by Leeds-
ville, Hitchcock's Corners, KUne's Corners, and
the hills a little east of Dover, where it crops out
also in low ridges through the quarternary.
The mountains west of the steel works, which
seem to terminate abruptly to the south, and are a
part of the Chestnut ridge, are of mica slate, and
garnets are not uncommon in it. At the " Stone
Church," half of a mile south-west of Dover Plains,
mica slate may be seen weU exposed. Garnets and
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
a single crystal of staurotide were observed here.
Fine specimens of the mica slate containing gar-
nets may be obtained at the falls of Wassaic Creek,
above the furnace in Amenia. Near the " City,"
the mica slate passes into the talcose slate. On
the road from Amenia north-east to the Chalk
Pond ore bed, the limestone, mica slate and talc
slate were all seen in a position nearly horizontal.
They may be better examined between the Chalk
Pond ore bed and Perry's Corners. Limestone of
very white color may be seen three-fourths of a
mile north-east of Amenia Seminary. The mica
slate is sometimes loaded with iron pyrites. One
locality, called the alum rock, is in the south part
of Amenia, not far south-east of the furnace ;
another is the mountain two miles south-west of
Amenia, in contorted, talcy, micaceous slate. It is
sometimes carbonaceous. It dips ten to forty
degrees to the west. Garnets are stated to be
abundant in the mica slate between Beekman and
the south-west part of Dover, by Prof. Cassels.
White limestone skirts the east base of the Chest-
nut ridge in Dover and into Pawling. The lime-
stone at some of the marble quarries near Dover
Plains is in nearly vertical strata. Generally, all
the strata of rocks in this region dip to the east-
south-east at high angles. Professors Cassels and
Merrick explored the Dover valley south into Paw-
ling, almost to Putnam county, and found it skirted
nearly the whole distance on the west by white
limestone in nearly vertical strata, dipping seventy-
five to eighty degrees to the east. The strike was
almost north and south.
The " Stone Church " is a place of some noto-
riety as a natural curiosity. It is a deep chasm in
the mica slate rock, worn out much larger by the
wearing action of a stream of water. It is very
irregular in its dimensions, broader at bottom than
at top, with large masses of rock in the bottom,
over which it is necessary for the visitor to clam-
ber to explore its more remote parts. Segments of
pot-holes have been worn in the rocks by the action
of pebbles and the rapid flow of water.
The Duchess county marble varies somewhat in
its character. It is almost always dolomitic,* or
composed of the carbonates of lime and magnesia
in variable proportions. Sometimes it is large
grained and quite compact ; at others it is fine
grained, and so loose in its texture as to be unfit
for a building rhaterial. A specimen of this marble
from Dover, which was of snow-white color, had a
* Dolomite derives its name from the French geologist Dolomieu. When
pure, it consists of 54-3 per cent, of carbonate of lime and 45.7 per cent,
of carbonate of magnesia.
granular texture, and was as friable as loaf sugar,
gave upon analysis the following results in one hun-
dred parts, viz : carbonate of lime, 60. 50 ; carbon-
ate of magnesia, 39. 50.*
About one and a half miles east of Kline's Cor-
ners, near the hne between Kent, Amenia and Do-
ver, heavy beds of close-grained granular quartz
were observed. This rock seems to form also a
portion of the mountain ranging southwardly, called
Elbow Mountain, and that ranging northwardly,
called Peaked Mountain in the reports.f Th# east
side of Elbow Mountain trends nearly south, and
the west nearly in a south-west direction. The
north end presents a sharp summit, but opposite
Dover it is three or four miles wide. The quartz
rock may be easily examined on the road from
Kline's Corners to Kent, in a field on the north
side of the road. It contains some small black
crystals in some places, which are probably horn-
blende or black tourmaline. This quartz rock is
believed to be the same as the Potsdam sandstone,
only altered by its proximity to granitic and in-
trusive rocks.
The granular limestone of Duchess county is
very extensive, and does not yield to any other
mineral deposit in the county in prospective value.
Marble quarries are extensively wrought in some
parts of its range, which extends through the great-
er part of the length of the county, and crops out
with variable breadth from a few hundred yards to
several miles. It varies much in texture and color.
It is granular and compact, white, grey, clouded,
striped, and nearly black. In some localities it is
strong and difficult to break ; in others it is dolo-
mitic and very friable, and crumbles to sand by
exposure to the weather. The hmestone beds of
this range are interstratified with talcose and mica-
ceous slate. They dip to the east and east-south-
east from twenty to ninety degrees. * It is rarely
used, except as a wall stone. Lime has been made
from it in Amenia and some other places. It
makes a good strong lime.
The calcareous sand, caused by the disintegra-
tion near the surface of many of the beds of dolo-
mitic limestone, may probably be used with advan-
tage on the soil as a 'substitute for marl. It is
found by experience that the lime of these dolo-
mites does not injure vegetation, like that of Euro-
pean magnesian limestones ; and the rock here is
pulverulent, and ready to act on vegetation in
the same manner as marl. *
* Prof. BecK s Fourth Geological Report, 6l, 62.
t Vide Second Annual Geological Report of New York, 1838, p i^^.
MARBLE— STEATITE— IRON ORE.
87
The principal marble quarries in the county are
in the town of Dover, near the village of Dover
Plains, Preston's and Ketcham's quarries being the
principal openings. Two stone saw-mills reduce
the huge blocks to marketable slabs, and are
abundantly supplied from the quarries with sharp,
gritty sand, without which the saws would be pow-
erless. The marble works easily and is susceptible
of a fine polish. It is almost a pure white, fine-
grained, dolomitic limestone, and is mostly used
for tomb-stones.
Near Kline's and Hitchcock's Corners are exten-
sive beds of limestone which do not crumble by
the action of the weather, and would make a good
marble. In Beekman, near Doughty's mills, fine
marble, in beds of a few feet in thickness, were ob-
served, as also in several places in East Fishkill,
near Stormville and Hopewell. Clouded marbles
were observed by Mr. Merrick on the Worster
Wheeler and E. Merritt farms in North East, and
was quarried in the latter place in the early part of
the present century. Other quarries have been
worked in several places, though the demand for
the particular kinds was not sufficient to make them
profitable. Beds of marble as good as that so well
known in Egremont and Stockbridge, undoubtedly
exist in North East, Amenia, Dover, Pawling,
Beekman and Fishkill. The resources of Duchess
county in valuable marbles are inexhaustible.
East of Poughquaick in Beekman, the granular
quartz rock was seen, having almost the characters
of gneiss, and the slate was changed to a mica
slate. South of Shenandoah the granular quartz
was seen again, and there it was compact and
homogeneous like eurite, but retained its strata
planes. The associated limestones are very grey
and white. The dip was in some places almost
vertical to the south-east.
Steatite (soap-stone) was seen near Peckville.
It is there intermixed with serpentine, and al-
though abundant, and quarried in large blocks, it
was found difficult to saw it well in consequence
of the different degrees of hardness of the steatite
and serpentine. It is beautifully spotted aiid
clouded, and as steatite indurates by heat, it is
possible that it may at some future time be wrought
as an ornamental stone. Some of the masses of
steatite are very pure, soft and easily wrought. In
some parts of the bed the rock is granular, or
scaly talc, either pure, or traversed in every direc-
tion by crystals of actynolite.
The iron ore of Duchess County is very abun-
dant, and makes iron of the best quality. -The
mines are numerous, and, generally, are easily
worked and free from water. The ore consists
principally of limonite, (sometimes called brown
hematite,) which varies in its state of aggregation
from a yellow pulverulent mass to a compact brown
iron-stone. It is mammillary, botryoidal, spongi-
form, and with stalactitic forms, some of which
have hemispherical, and others acicular termina-
tions; others are like bunches of pendant moss.
The solid stalactitic forms are fibrous, with
diverging radii from the center. The specimens
are beautiful and highly ornamental as curiosities
and as minerals. In 1843, there were said to be
ten furnaces within twelve miles of Amenia, which
made in the aggregate about 10,000 tons of iron per
annum, and affijrded employment to about 1,000
men as ore-diggers, coal-men, teamsters, smelters,
limestone-diggers, etc. Some of these were in
Connecticut, near the line ; but the furnace at
Hopewell was not included in the number. In
t88o the production of iron in the county had in-
creased to more than six times that quantity —
61,637 tpns, exceeding the production of any pre-
ceding year. The malleable iron from the furnaces
in this county is highly valued for its toughness and
softness, and has been extensively employed in
making anchors, musket and pistol barrels, wire,
etc. The ore makes the finest car-wheels and can-
non, and it is said by experts to be peculiarly
adapted to making the best steel. The geological
situation of the ore-beds is very constant, and
mostly at the junction of mica or talcose slate
with the grey and white limestones. The limestone
generally crops out on the west side of the ore
beds, and the mica and talc slate on the east, and
both dip at an angle of from twenty to sixty degrees
to the east-south-east.
The ore bed in East Fishkill is thus described by
Dr. Beck in the Geological Report of 1837: —
" This is the ore bed belonging to the Fishkill
Iron Company. It is situated about three miles
north-east of the village of Hopewell. The hill in
which it occurs presents no peculiarity that I
could discover, except that its surface" is made
up of coarse gravel, and has a rounded form in
various places. The ore is covered by a stiff whitish
clay, and is intermixed with the same substance,
called fuller's earth by the miners. Quartz is also
one of the accompanying minerals, and a sort of
slate is also found in the center of the mass of ore,
which causes some inconvenience to the smelter.
The whole bed is made up of nodules of ore of
various sizes and forms, but unusually rounded,
which are covered, and apparently cemented
together with a yellowish brown clayey ochre.
These nodules are often hollow ; and when this is
88
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
the case, the inner surface is highly polished, and
has the appearance of having been fused. Some-
times also beautiful stalactites, of various sizes and
forms, are found in these balls ; and occasionally
there is observed a thin lining of a black powdery
nature, resembling plumbago, which is believed to
be oxide .of manganese. The structure of the ore
is fibrous, and its color brown. This bed is worked
by levels or burrows carried in various directions
through the hill in which it is situated. These ex-
cavations have already extended to the distance of
ninety or a hundred feet from the entrance. The
roof of these burrows is from twelve to thirty feet
above the floor, and is supported by pillars of ore,
from five to teti feet in thickness. The ore alter-
nates with the clay and Slate, and from what I sub-
sequently observed, I infer that the bed rests upon
mica slate, although I did not find that rock in the
immediate vicinity."
Most of t;he galleries, says Prof. Mather, in 1843,
have caved in, in consequence of the injudicious
method of working the ore. The superincumbent
materials are clay, loam, gravel and pebbles, im-
perfectly aggregated like " hard pan ;" so that when
the soil becomes very wet, they have little tenacity;
and as the galleries are made large, and without
any support to sustain the superincumbent mater-
ials, they cave in, and render the extraction of ore
expensive. The ore is of good quaUty, but more
mixed with earthy matter than at many of the
other mines. Limestone was seen in places a few
rods west of the mines, and of the same general
character as that seen at the various mines of this
kind of iron ore. There are at present (1881) two
mines in this locality, situated on the Clove Branch
of the Newburgh, Duchess & Connecticut Rail-
road, viz: Brown's and Tower's, the former em-
ploying about forty men and the latter about thirty.
Their combmed product is about 150 tons of ore
per day, that of the latter being transported to the
furnaces in Poughkeepsie.
The Clove ore bed is an extensive deposit of
brown hematite, situated in the south-west part of
Union Vale, on the west side of the hill running
parallel with the valley of the Clove. The gen-
eral appearance of the hill in which it is situated
does not differ much from that of the East Fish-
kill ore bed, but it appears to be more extensive,
at least it has been more extensively explored. In
most instances it has been worked ^(7 //5i? day ; large
excavations having been made in various places,
which communicate with some central point by
means of roads or railways. The Dover Iron Co.
sunk a shaft and constructed a level to intersect it.
f he ore is in general similar to that found at the
bed in East Fishkill, but contains, perhaps, a larger
proportion of the ochery or fine ore, which is con-
sidered more valuable than the other varieties.
Associated with it are minute crystals of oxide of
manganese, and that rare mineral, gibbsite. It is
a very pure hydrated peroxide of iron, and is mostly
fibrous hematite. It supplies the Beekman furnace
two miles further south. A bed of white clay, or
fuller's earth, rests upon the ore as at East Fishkill,
and the ore bed is bounded on the east by Ume-
stone. The southernmost of the ore beds at this place
does not make as good iron as the others, though
the ore is richer and yields a greater proportion of
iron. The ore is mostly the fibrous hematite.
Foss' ore bed is situated in the town of Dover
about a mile and a half west-south-west of the
furnace of the Dover Iron Company, in a valley
between the spurs of the mountain which passes
through this part of the country, and it is particu-
larly interesting as showing the association of the
hematite with the mica slate, which occurs here in
strata of some thickness, and contains garnets
of various sizes. In extent it appears to be in-
ferior to those already noticed. The ore is in
much larger masses, and is not only reduced to
powder with more difficulty, but contains a larger
proportion of foreign substances. Work has for
some time been discontinued.
The Amenia and SaUsbury ore beds are the most
extensively wrought of any iron mines of this ore
in the United States, and the iron from these beds
is considered superior in softness and toughness to
that of any other mine in the country. The ore
in the Amenia beds yields fifty per centum of pig
iron, and inproves in quality as it descends. The
deposit is very extensive, and is covered with eart\
gravel and broken rocks to a depth of five to
twenty feet. In 1843, the beds, which, in one
place, had been excavated to a depth of forty-five
feet, yielded 5,000 tons of ore per annum ; and
Prof. Mather estimated that at that rate of pro-
duction they would not be exhausted in three
hundred years. Talcose slate crops out a few
rods east and white limestone a few rods west
of the bed. Another mine, possibly a contin-
uation of the same bed, is opened at Squab-
ble Hole, about two miles south-south-west of
Ameniaville, The ore, which is abundant, was
discovered while digging a well. The Chalk Pond
ore bed, two and one-half miles north-east of
Ameniaville, was extensively wrought many years
ago, and abandoned in consequence of the water
from the pond incommoding the mines ; but this
difficulty has been obviated by drainage.
LEAD— COPPER— GOLD— SILVER.
89
The ore bed near the village of Amenia, (or
Paine's Corners, as it has been called,) is best ex-
posed to examination, and has yielded the greatest
quantity of ore. In some places clayey matter is
intermixed with the ore; in others it is red like the
earthy red oxide of iron, yellow like iron ochre,
white like pipe clay, and sometimes bluish. The
blue clay is not plastic, but rather crumbly when
wet ; it is more or less mixed with talcy and mica-
ceous matter, and contains a multitude of minute
but perfect cubic crystals of pyrites. This bed
yields the greatest variety of the most beautiful
and delicate specimens for the cabinet of any local-
ity which came under the observation of Prof.
Mather, who says it "is a treat to the mineral-
ogist." Prof. Beck says : " a fragment of stalactite
from this locality was found to have a specific
gravity of 3.828 ; and to lose upon calcination 13.5
per centum of its weight. The composition of
this specimen will probably be a fair average of
that of the pure hematitic variety from the various
localities in this county." His analysis of brown
hematite from the Amenia ore bed gives the fol-
lowing result : —
Peroxide of iron 82.90
Silica and alumina 3.60
Water i3S°
Oxide of manganese trace
Proportion of metallic iron 57.50 pr. ct.
Galena, or the sulphuret of lead, is extensively
distributed in small quantities over a tract extend-
ing through this county and the counties north of
it on the east side of the Hudson. In nearly every
locality it is situated in veins, traversing the strata
near the junction of limestone with slate rocks,
where they have been upturned and exposed to
great derangements, and more or less affected by
metamorphic agency. Many localities were exam-
ined, but none gave much promise of profitable
investment. Fine grained galena is found in Dover
in a small vein, in dolomite, near the Preston Inn.
It is situated in a quartz vein which traverses the
limestone, and the ore is disseminated in small
grains and bunches. Lead ore occurs in Amenia.
In April, 1863, the Amenia Lead Co. was organ-
ized with a capital of ^500,000. The property of
the company was situated about seven miles from
Amenia, and consisted of about 100 acres held by
the company in fee simple, and some 1,220 acres,
about three-fourths of which was covered by long
mining leases, with covenants for renewal and pur-
chase at the company's option, and the remaining
one-fourth by a perpetual mining lease. An an-
alysis of one ton of copper ore from this mine was
made by Augustus T. Moith, in May, 1863, with
the following result : Copper oxide, 1,350 to 1,400
lbs. ; sulphur, 280 lbs. ; Water, 240 lbs. ; silver,
33^ to 34 oz. ; lead, 20 lbs. ; earthy matter, 140 lbs.
Galena is said to have been found at Rhinebeck ;
and in Stanford lead ore is said to occur on the
Asa Thorn and Asa Thompson places. Copper
ore was observed in small quantity on the Gen-
eral Brush farm in Aihenia, about a hundred rods
west of the "City" meeting-house. This locality
was worked for copper ore in the early part of the
present century. Copper ore, principally of the
black sulphuret, occurs in the Judge Bockee lead
mines in North East. Copper pyrites were observed
in the siliceous slate, on the road from Lower Red
Hook to Upper Red Hook landing, but in small
quantity. It was on the Nathan Beckwith farm.
On the Van Wyck farm in East Fishkill, about a
mile south-east of Johnsonville, Mr. Merrick saw
a thin vein of quartz in limestone, which contained
galena and some copper pyrites. Blende is seen
in veins one-fourth to one inch wide in the lime-
stone at the Ward Bryan and Judge Bockee lead
mines in North East.* It was seen in small quan-
tities at most of the lead diggings in various parts
of the county. In North East, on the Lee farm,
about four miles north of Amenia, excavations were
made many years since in search of silver. They
are in the quartz veins, in the talcy slate rock, near
its junction with the limestone. Pyrites occur in
some abundance there ; but no other ore was seen.
In the north-east part of La Grange are numerous
excavations said to have been silver mines, from
which, according to tradition, large quantities were
obtained in olden times. Mr. Merrick found no
traces of any metal, except a few particles- of
' pyrites, " and the money made there," says Prof.
Mather, "was probably 'out of pocket.'" Silver
mines have been mentioned as occurring in par-
ticular localities, "but investigation showed, in at
least nine cases out of ten, that pyrites was the
deceptive mineral." The county is not without
auriferous deposits, as is shown by the following
from the Poughkeepsie Weekly Eagle of May 6,
1876:—
"The existence of gold in the hills around Rhine-
beck has long been known. * * * In 1868 or
'69, Dr. Freleigh, then a physician of Rhinebeck,
* Numerous excavations for lead and copper were made in these local-
ities, in colonial times, as early as 1740 by a company of Germans, who
sent the ore to Bristol, England. The mines were re-opened during the
Revolution, and a few tons of ore obtained. Geology o/the First Geo-
logical District of New York, \i,b.— French's Gazetteer of the State of
New York, li^.
9°
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
satisfied himself that there was valuable treasure
about eight miles east of the village. The land was
owned by Daniel Murch, and an agreement was
made by which Dr. Freleigh was to have the refusal
of the farm for a year. Dr. Freleigh interested
parties in New York, to whom he sold the farm for
$100,000, paying Murch $25,000, when both re-
tired from the business. After the disposal of
the farm, the gold excitement died out, and
nothing was done in mining. The first practical
explorations of the gold fields were begun in the
summer of 1875, by J. B. Lichtenstein, of New
York, who purchased of N. W. H. Judson, of
Rhinebeck, the farm adjoining that of Murch. A
shaft was sunk into the hills about thirty feet, and
a tunnel started in the direction of the most prom-
ising leads. The machinery used was of the
crudest kind, being a hand-working crusher, a
small furnace, and a few imperfect tools. The
most productive ore found yielded not more than
$25 per ton, and the mine cannot be made to pay
at less than $35 a ton."
The primary rocks, which are similar in mineral-
ogical characters, in mineral contents, and in geo-
logical associations, are confined in this county to
the south-east portion and a few islands surrounded
by other formations. They occupy Pawling, the
east part of Beekman, and south-east and south
part of East Fishkill, the east part of Dover, and
a small part of Pine Plains and Stanford. They
are numerous and everywhere abundant, and are
seen cropping out from the surface of almost every
hill and ravine. Many of them are applied to use-
ful purposes. The principal are granite, sienite,
gneiss, mica slate, augite rock, greenstone and
hornblende rocks, quartz rock, talcose slate, lime-
stone, serpentine and steatite, the latter five of
which have been descfibed as metamorphic rocks.
Granite occurs abundantly, and presents all
varieties of texture, from a very coarse grained
rock to one almost perfectly compact. It varies
as much in color as in texture, being white, grey,
red, yellowish and bluish grey, according to the
color of the- minerals forming it. The color of the
feldspar usually determines that of the mass. It
occurs in beds, veins, interstratified masses, and in
knots, knobs and protruding masses, in which no
connection with veins or beds has been traced.
The more common mode of its occurrence is in
beds 10 to 100 feet thick, interstratified with
gneiss. Some of it is too coarse for use as a
building material ; some is too compact and hard,
being, in fact, eurite ,- others are well adapted for
building. The materials are of the best quaUty,
easily quarried in large blocks, suitable for columns
and cornices, easily dressed, and enduring as time,
as the naked crags themselves testify.
Hornblende, associated with hornblendic gneiss,
was observed on Mt. Stissing, near Pine Plains,
and on the mountains in Pawling. The horn-
blendic rocks are constantly associated with the
beds of magnetic oxides of iron.
Sienite is generally coarse grained, of a reddish
color, spotted with black crystalline and irregular
masses of hornblende. It passes into hornblendic
slate and hornblendic gneiss on the one hand, and
into hornblende rock on the other.
Gneiss varies greatly in external aspect and com-
position ; and its color is dependent upon the rela-
tive abundance of its constituents, which are
variously colored in different localities. The feld-
spar is white, reddish, or of a bluish grey ; the
mica is black, brown, yellow, copper-colored and
white ; the quartz is white, grey, or smoky. In
some places mica abounds in the rock, and it ap-
proaches to mica slate ; but more commonly the
feldspar is most abundant, and gives character to it.
Mica slate has a very limited distribution, and
when it does occur it seems to be a modification of
gneiss, the mica becoming predominant, while
within a short distance the rock resumes its char-
acter of gneiss.
Augite rock is sometimes mixed with feldspar, but
is more commonly either by itself, or mixed with
the various minerals that are usually associated
with it. It is of all shades of color, from white,
through grey and green of various shades to black ;
and from compact through various grades of gran-
ular to broad fohated masses, in the forms of
fassaite, coccolite, common augite, sahlite, crystal-
lized augite and diopside. This rock has not been
applied to any useful purpose.
Greenstone, in some places, has the aspect of
common trap, like basalt, but more commonly the
hornblende predominates and gives its character
to it. It traverses and is intruded in sheets and
irregular masses among the gneiss and other rocks
m the same way as granite and sienite, and many
of the masses classed with this rock may be classed
with sienite, but for the fineness of the grain, being
of about the same texture of a sandstone, com-
posed of black hornblende with grains of white and
grey feldspar.
^ Granular quartz rock was observed on the east
side of the Dover Valley, in Dover, adjacent to
the gneiss rocks; but this and the contiguous
white dolomitic limestone belong to the metamor-
phic rocks. '
^ The mass of primary rocks in Pine Plains and
Stanford is called Mt. Stissing. Its highest peak
ALLUVIAL DEPOSITS— MARL— PEAT.
91
is probably elevated nearly a thousand feet above
the level of the lake on its east side. It is com-
posed of gneiss and hornblendic gneiss with some
granite, all of which are like the rocks of the High-
lands. The strata range north fifteen to twenty
degrees east, and dip from seventy to ninety de-
grees to the westward. The mountain is entirely
isolated, like an island, surrounded entirely by the
quarternary and rocks of the Champlain division.
The Potsdam sandstone rests on the primary at
the south-west end of the mountain, and this is
covered by the grey limestones and slates of the
Champlain division. The slates on the west side
of the mountain are broken and crumpled up in
the greatest confusion.
Magnetic iron is the only ore of any great eco-
nomical importance known to the Highlands, but
there are some beds of limonite, some of pyrites
and of arsenical iron. Lead, silver and tin ores
are said to have been found, but Prof. Mather says
he has seen no indications to justify the conclusion
that they occur in any important quantities. Cop-
per pyrites and carbonate of copper have been
observed in small quantities.
Vast quantities of alluvion are being constantly
deposited in the Hudson by the numerous streams
emptying into it. Almost every creek has its del-
ta. These alluvions are highly important both in
an economical and scientific point of view. They
are sensibly increasing in height and area, and will
at some future time make valuable and productive
lands. Some of them are now employed for hay
and pasturage, and others are rapidly becoming
adapted for such uses. Between Upper Red Hook
landing and the mouth of the Saghkill an exten-
sive alluvial deposit is forming, which may be con-
sidered the united deltas of the Saghkill and Stony
Creek. The bay in which this deposition is taking
place, is filling up by the deposits of the streams
flowing into it, the wash of the adjacent clay hills
on the east and north, and by organic depositions,
which form a large proportion of the bulk of ac-
cumulating matter. The aquatic plants grow very
thick and luxuriant, and by their annual decay
form a large amount of carbonaceous matter,
mixed with the wash of the adjacent country. Two
islands cut off the "river from most of the west
boundary of the baj-, and a marsh connects the
largest with the main land, so that the water stag-
nates.- They are on a line with the rocky shore
above Upper Red Hook landing, and are the out-
cropping edges of the same strata. An island of
alluvial ooze is forming about two and one-half
miles below Rhinebeck landing, and extensive
flats under water are also in process of formation.
Between Emott's and Thompson's landings clay
hills bound the bay on the east, in which these de-
positions are taking place. Three small creeks
also empty into it, and by their deposits assist in
the accumulation. At the mouth of Casper Creek
a small deha is forming. At the mouth of Wap-
pinger Creek, a small alluvial deposition com-
mences, and extends with little interruption till it
joins that of Fishkill Creek, and continues thence
to the Highlands. There are many alluvial
marshes and flats too small to notice, and they can
be of comparatively little value, even prospective-
ly, except for manure.
Shell marl abounds in the valley of the Hudson.
It is a white pulverulent substance when dry, and
when wet, is so soft that a pole may easily be
thrust into it. It is composed of the shells and
decayed fragments of the lymn»a, Physa heter-
osiropha, Planorbis trivalvis, P. campanulatus,
Cyclas similis, and other species. Uniones and
anodontce are sometimes found in it. The term
marl, in its strict mineralogical sense, means an
- argillaceous carbonate of lime.
Peat has an extensive range in the county, and
occurs in patches of two to three hundred acres,
the most important deposits being in Pawling,
Pine Plains, Stanford and Amenia. This alluvion
is the result of vegetable decomposition. It varies
in its aspect. The best quality is a soft, unctious,
tremulous mud when wet, but when dry is so com-
pact as to receive a slight pohsh. When heated,
it burns with flame and bituminous odor. Ligne-
ous, fibrous and compact peat are the principal
varieties. The former two are of comparatively
little value ; the latter makes a valuable fuel and
is extensively used for that purpose in France and
Ireland. In cold climates it is formed in moist
ground and shallow ponds, wherever there is an ac-
cumulation of vegetable matter. Decayed trees
form a light, soft, spongy mass, called ligneous
peat. From decomposed grasses and seeds a
fibrous peat is formed, which is light and spongy
several feet below the surface, but at a greater
depth may be of good quality for fuel. Small
aquatic plants and mosses, such as Sphagnum
palustre, produce peat, which, at a moderate depth,
is compact, without fibres, uniform in its texture,
and of good quality. The Rev. Mr. Shafter, of
New York, observed peat and marl in Rhinebeck,
North East and Clinton in 1817. He gave, ai sec-
tion of one of the marshes, which is as follows:
92
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
I, sod and vegetable mold; 2, a stratum of turf
on peat, three to four feet ; 3, a stratum of peat
and marl mingled, two feet ; 4, a stratum of pure
marl, two to three feet. Below these there was an
appearance of sand and blue clay.*
The county presents examples of the sinking of
limestone rock into caverns below, in consequence
of the gradual removal of the limestone that sup-
ported the roofs of the caverns, by the solving and
erosive action of subterranean springs and streams.
Near Clinton Point in Poughkeepsie, the ground
sank, the rock being no longer able to bear the
weight of the superincumbent mass. A man
that was plowing had passed over this ground
but a moment before. Another occurred in Pine
Plains, on the line of a subterranean stream.
Trees were not disturbed in their growth on the
sunken ground but a cow that was in it, died
from want of water and food, from her inability to
climb out of the sunken space.
Concreted carbonate of lime was seen in small
quantity at and near the " Spook Hole,"t a cave
near Clinton Point. Tufa is mentioned by Cleave-
land near Rhinebeck.
Clay balls and calcareous concretions are com-
monly found in the tertiary or quarternary clay
beds, which are of alluvial formation. One divis-
ion of them seems to be formed by segregation,
like septaria and the various nodular masses em-
bedded in limestone, slate and other rocks. They
present a great variety of forms, rarely spherical,
except when grouped in botryoidal masses; but
generally flattened ovoidal digitated, and more
similar in form to the various shapes of cakes made
for children. They are formed of clay, but con-
tain carbonate of hme sufficient to indurate them,
and sometimes to slack when burned. The other
division is formed by organic causes. They are
almost all the shapes of a tubular, flattened ovoidal
or annulated form, and almost universally have a
hole through them, some not larger than a fine
needle, others of the size of the finger or of the arm.
They are formed in and between the layers of clay,
but never, it is believed, below the depth to which
the roots of plants penetrate. They seem to be
formed by the roots of plants absorbing the water,
and perhaps the carbonic acid of the water in the
earth, and rejecting the carbonate of lime that is
held in solution by one or both. This, by its de-
* American Journal of Science, I., \y),
+ The Spook Hole is a small cave in limestone about half a mile
soutli-cast of Clinton Point and so to 70 rods from the Hudson. It is
' said,<* Jiave Wmuch carbonic acid gas in it as to make it dangerous to
enter with6(it precaution. When visited by Prof. Mather lights burned
well. ■
position, remains around the root or fibre, and in-
durates the clay. The localities in the valleys
of the Hudson and its tributaries are so numerous
that it is unnecessary to specify more than a few.
Between Lower Red Hook and Rhinebeck land-
ings, Prof. Mather saw an oak tree that had been
uprooted by the wind, with hundreds of these an-
nular, tubular, and discoidal concretions dangling
from its smaller roots and fibrous rootlets. They
are not uncommon about Poughkeepsie, Hyde
Park, Fishkill, and throughout the clay formations
of the Hudson and its main tributaries.
Sulphate of lime occurs only as an alluvion, in-
considerable in quantity, and resulting from the
decomposition of pyrites in contact with materials
containing calcareous matter, or as a deposit from
mineral springs. Sulphate of alumina occurs as an
efflorescence, and in tubercuiar masses. One locality
observed is on the mountain, about two and a half
miles south-west of Araeniaville, in decomposing
pyrites and dark colored mica slate, that was once
supposed to contain coal ; another is about three
miles south of the same village, in a similar rock.
Another locality is in the town of North East. Prof.
Merrick observed a locaHty of " alum slate," like
that of Amenia, near the top of the hill east of
Hurd's Corners, in Pawling. Muriate of lime
occurs in almost all the spring waters of the Hud-
son valley, and particularly in those that issue from
the clay beds of the tertiary of that valley. It is
the principal cause of the "hardness of the water,"
or its quality of decomposing soap.
Springs are caused by the water percolating
downwards from the surface of the earth, until it
meets some stratum that is not sufficiently pervious
to permit it to pass through. The water accumu-
lates on this until it rises to such a level as to find
an outlet. Carbonic acid is one of the most com-
mon substances in mineral waters.* It is a well
established chemical fact that carbonates are solu-
ble iff an excess of carbonic acid. As spring waters
containing carbonic acid flow along the fissures of
limestone, the carbonic acid is continually exerting
its solvent action upon the rock, and transporting
the dissolved carbonate of lime to distant parts.
This offers a ready and satisfactory explanation of
the numerous extensive caverns in limestone dis-
tricts, to which they are almost exclusively con-
fined.
Chalybeate springs contain carbonate of iron
held in solution by carbonic acid, and the adjoin-
ing valleys and marshes into which such springs
flow, always contain bog iron ore, or soil stained with
MINERAL SPRINGS— SUBTERRANEAN STREAMS.
93
limonite, unless they flow into a stream so as to
prevent a deposition of the ferruginous matter.
Near Upton's Pond in Stanford, Prof. Merrick
examined a small chalybeate spring from which an
unusual quantity of iron ore was deposited. A
chalybeate spring is said to flow from the base of
Barker's Mountain, half a mile north-west of KUne's
Corners, in Amenia.
A small sulphur spring flows from the base of
the mountain one and one-fourth miles north- north-
west of Ameniaville, on the Thomas Ingraham
place ; but its odor was so slight as to require the
water to be taken into the mouth to perceive that
it was sulphureted. It has some reputation for
the cures effected by it. On the premises of Capt.
Thomas S. Loyd, near South Clinton street, in the
city of Poughkeepsie, is a mineral spring which
was found by digging about thirty feet through the
rock. Its medicinal qualities, which were discov-
ered by accident, have been known to a few per-
sons for several years, and many have been bene-
fited by it, but they were not made pubUc until
1877. "The water is transparent and brilliant,
and has no odor or taste. It is aerated to an un-
common degree, and gases held in solution render
it delicious and refreshing." A gallon of this water
(231 cubic inches) contains twenty-two grains of
mineral matter, dried at 212° F., consisting of soda,
lime, magnesia, siUcic acid, chlorine, carbonic acid
and sulphate of potash, as determined by Prof.
Chandler, of Columbia College. It has received
the name of " Crystal Spring ;" and persons suf-
fering from rheumatism, dyspepsia, kidney diseases,
etc., have been benefited by the use of its waters.*
On the Isaac Smith farm, a mile south-east of
Judge Bockee's in North East, a gas spring issues
near the limestone, on the great axis of disturb-
ance on which the gaseous and thermal springs of
the eastern counties of New York are situated.
Gas is said to bubble up through the fountain,
which never freezes. A gas spring also rises in
the bed of a small stream about a quarter of a
mile from Ameniaville, towards Poughkeepsie,
and in another near the roadside, where the ground
was covered by water, the constant rise of bubbles
of gas was observed for some time. These locali-
ties were in the valley west of Amenia, and the
gas issued from the gravel beds over or near the
junction of the talcy slate with the limestone,
and between the Amenia ore beds of limonite and
those at a place called the Squabble-hole ore
beds.
*Pmghkeepsie TVefHj EagU, May a5, 1877.
There are several subterranean streams in the
county. Cold Spring, south-west of Stissing
Mountain, flows from the base of a Umestone ridge,
in a brook large enough to carry a mill, and is
generally reputed to be the subterranean outlet of
a small lake at the base of Mt. Stissing, which has
no visible outlet. The Clove Spring in Union
Vale, which is supposed to discharge from twenty
to thirty barrels of very Hmpid water per minute,
is another instance. Another occurs at low water
mark on the bank of the Hudson, a half or three-
fourths of a mile north of Clinton Point ; another
flows from the side of the post road, a quarter of
a mile north of the crossing of the Casper hill ;
and still another on the Judge Bockee farm in
North East, which discharges about twenty cubic
feet of water per minute. The water is very clear,
and uniform in temperature throughout the year.
In Pine Plains are several large springs. Two are
located on the Walter Reynolds farm, about three
miles east of Pine Plains. Both are in fact sub-
terranean streams, which sink into the earth and
re-appear. The large stream disappears in a sink-
hole, in the base of the hill on the north side of
the road from Pine Plains to Pulver's Corners,
and re-appears as a large spring boiling up through
sand about a quarter of a mile south-west of the
place of its disappearance. The road crosses the
subterranean stream. There is a sink-hole on the
line between these places, where the earth sank in
some years ago. Another stream vanishes and re-
appears twice south of the above, and a line of
sink-holes indicates the line of the subterranean
stream.
An inflammable gas, very pure, rises from the
bottom , of a small lake in the town of North
East."^ At the mineral springs bored for McCul-
loch's brewery, carburetted hydrogen is evolved, f
Sulphate of iron was observed in small quanti-
ties efflorescing on mica slate, about two miles
south-west of Ameniaville, on the east side of the
mountain, near an old excavation made with the
expectation of finding coal ; also four miles south
of Ameniaville, at the south side of Barker's Moun-
tain, on mica slate; about two miles south of
Poughkeepsie, on the shore of the Hudson, where
an excavation and boring had been made in search
of coal in the black shale of the Hudson River -
group of rocks. At all these locaUties the bisul-
phuret of iron was disseminated through the
rocks.
• A ckerly. Geology of the Hudson. Clevelana's Mintralogy, 483.
\Prof. L. C. Beck., Neva York Geological Report, i8j8. 41.
94
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
Bog ore occurs in a meadow two miles west o
Pine Plains; at Poughquaick in Beekman, and
other places in the county, but not in sufficient
quantity to be of much value.
The quaternary deposits embrace the clay, sand
and gravel beds of the valleys of the Hudson and
its tributaries. Some boulders and drift deposits
overlie this formation ; but the main drift deposit
that is usually called diluvion, erratic block group,
boulder system, etc., underlies it.
A belt of the quarternary formation, mostly
clay, but in some places sand and gravel, extends
with irregular width south through Red Hook and
Rhinebeck. Branches or arms, like bays, of this
formation are found in the valleys of all the streams
which cross it. It is interspersed with rotky
islands. Another deposit extends from Pine Plains
down Wappinger Creek, and up some of its
branches. The drainage that now finds its outlet
through Ancram Creek, probably flowed in former
times through Wappinger Creek. Another oc-
cupies a part of the valley of Oblong Creek in
North East and Amenia; another forms the plains
in Dover and extends south up the valleys of the
streams that flow from PawUng into Ten Mile
River. Other deposits of similar character occur
on Fishkill Creek and its tributaries, in Fishkill,
East Fishkill, Beekman, La Grange and Union
Vale ; on Wappinger Creek and its tributaries, in
La Grange, Pleasant Valley, Washington and Clin-
ton ; and perhaps this may be connected with the
same formation about Poughkeepsie and Hyde Park,
and with the main mass of the quarternary forma-
tion that was described as terminating in the- lower
part of Rhinebeck. A small patch of the quarter-
nary occurs on and near the shore of the Hudson,
between the mouth of Fishkill Creek and the point
of Breakneck Mountain. The sand beds of this
formation in this part of the Hudson Valley do
not cover extensive areas with loose deep sands
that drift, or make the traveling over them tedious,
like the sand plains of Albany, Schenectady and
Saratoga counties and other localities north and
south. The clay lands of the same formation oc-
cupy a narrow belt near the Hudson to Fishkill.
Where the sand occurs it is uniformly above the
clay beds, and generally covers the plains that
divide the waters of the creek and smaller streams.
The brick manufactures of the Hudson Valley, to
which these deposits give life, are a most important
industry. In 1843, there were made within the
coifnty 15,700,000 bricks; at present, the seven
firms at Denning's Point, the principal seat of
manufacture, produce nearly treble that quantity—
44,500,000. We have no data as to extent of
manufacture elsewhere in the county, except in
Poughkeepsie, which, in 1843, was the principal
seat of manufacture, (7,900,000) while at present
it produces from two yards, the only ones now
engaged in the business, about 32,000 per day.
From the character of these quarternary deposits
it is evident that a vast inland sea once occupied
the basin of the Hudson valley, since the period of
the drift deposits ; that the water level has changed
in this area, and as the ocean maintains its equiUb-
rium, this vast tract of country has been elevated
in mass with little relative change in height, but to
an absolute height of 300 to 1,000 feet above its
former level ; and that this elevation has probably
been effected in a short time, and caused strong
currents to flow through th% channels communicat-
ing with the ocean, and through which the waters
have been drained to their present levels, deposit-
ing beds of sand, gravel, pebbles and boulders in
the eddies.
The drift deposits of the Hudson Valley are
found lying upon the naked rocks of all the forma-
tions that are consolidated. They are covered to
a greater or less extent in the large valleys by dep-
ositions of clay, gravel and sand, up to a certain
level, at which the water remained for a considera-
ble period. The drift depositions occupy situations
much higher in absolute level than the quarternary,
and in the valleys also are found at lower levels.
They were undoubtedly transported by water, and
this would show that the waters occupied a higher
level, or that the surface was relatively less elevated
at the drift, than at the quarternary period. Thef
are composed of fragments of all the primary rocks
exposed to the action of the causes that contrib-
uted to their transportation and deposition. They
are mostly coarse, composed of blocks, boulders,
pebbles, gravel and sand, sometimes loose, but fre-
quently aggregated by argillaceous matter.
The topographical features of this formation are
somewhat peculiar. In this vicinity, where it is
well exposed to view, it is very hilly and irregular,
and is composed of round-backed hillocks with
bowl-shaped cavities or valleys, between them.
These little hillocks are entirely composed of
boulders, rounded pebbles, gravel and sand. They
may be seen in the valley that extends south from
Fishkill, and in most of the elevated valleys
through which currents seem to have flowed, when
the water was elevated some hundred feet above
its present level. The same kind of diluvial hill-
BOULDERS AND ERRATIC BLOCKS— SCRATCHED ROCKS.
95
ocks are in the valley of Wappinger Creek,
between FishkiU and Poughkeepsie ; in the valley
between Ameniaville and the furnace four miles
south ; along the east part of East Fishkill, near
the base of the mountains, near Shenandoah and
Stormville. It is only when the drift deposits have
a considerable thickness, that the hilly character of
the drift is observed. When it is thin it does not
give any marked character to the country, but
serves to fill up the irregularities that would other-
wise exist upon the rocky surface, and give a
smoother outline.
Boulders and erratic blocks are rounded masses
of rock that are supposed to have been worn to
their rounded forms by attrition, though many of
the large rounded masses called boulders, have
received their forms by the atmospheric causes
producing disintegration. It is not doubted, how-
ever, that the banks of rounded masses of rock,
pebbles and gravel indicate the action and trans-
porting power of water. The terms by which they
are designated imply that they are more or less
removed from the place where their characteristics
are found in stiu. They are loose masses spread
over or embedded in the soil, and frequently they
are' different from the rocks in place in the vicin-
ity; but it is observed, as a general rule, that the
larger masses and blocks are nearer their parent
sources, while they diminish in size as they are
more remote from them. They are scattered not
only over the valleys, plains and hills of moderate
elevation, but are found on the peaks of high
mountains.
The Fishkill valley contains boulders and peb-
bles of all the varieties of the Hudson slate rocks
and the Taconic series that occur in the Hudson
and Champlain valley as far north as Whitehall.
The Potsdam sandstone is the hardest of these
rocks, except quartz, and the pebbles of these two
rocks are most abundant. The Potsdam sandstone
pebbles are like the sandstone of Whitehall and
Fort Ann, and the quartz is mostly like that in veins
in the slaty rocks in Hillsdale, Taconic, Canaan,
AusterUtz, Chatham and New Lebanon, being
generally white milky quartz, frequently containing
chlorite, brown spar, and sometimes carbonate of
iron, carbonate of lime, and quartz crystals. The
brown spar is frequently decomposed, leaving
earthy oxide of manganese in the cavities. The
aspect of this quartz, together with the association
of minerals, is so peculiar as to leave no doubt of
the parent source of these pebbles. In the vicinity of
Poughquaick a large share of the boulders are of
limestone, mixed with those of quartzose gneiss.
Many of the limestone boulders are vesicular, from
partial disintegration. After crossing Fishkill Creek
to the west there was a change in the boulders and
pebbles. The limestone boulders are darker color-
ed, more siliceous, and are evidently from a differ-
ent stratum. The quartz boulders are also darker
and more abundant, and bear a strong resem-
blance to those found in the vicinity of the primi-
tive argillite. On the range of hills between
Fishkill and Sprout Creeks, in La Grange, the
boulders are of those rocks peculiar to the primi-
tive argillite region, consisting principally of
milky and brown quartz, with chlorite occasionally
adhering.
About three-fourths of a mile north of Clinton
Point, near the shore of the Hudson, the quarter-
nary yellow and blue clays occupy a small valley.
In the lower part of the blue clay, pebbles and
boulders of quartz and of grit rock of the Hudson
slate series are imbedded, and they seem to have
been deposited while the clay was also being de-
posited ; the boulders and pebbles are in many in-
stances smooth and scratched. On the mountains
between Hurd's Corners, in Pawling, and Beekman,
which are mostly mica slate and gneiss. Prof. Cas-
sels observed a great number of granite boulders ;
also on the east side of the Dover and Croton val-
leys in Pawling. In Stanford, south of Mt. Stissing,
are numerous boulders of granite and gneissoid
rocks, like those of that mountain ; also a hard
sihceous rock-like granular quartz, which is iden-
tical with a similar rock at the south end of
the mountain overlying the primary rocks, and
underlying the limestone of the valley of Wap-
pinger Creek. This siliceous rock is believed
to be the same as the Potsdam sandstone of Prof.
Emmons.
Numerous examples of smooth and scratched
surfaces of rocks, some of them very distinct, were
observed in various parts of the county. These
phenomena indicate that, at some former time, the
county, to the tops of the high mountains, was cov-
ered with water, and that strong currents flowed
through the Hudson valley. It is probable that
the summits of the highlands in the eastern and
southern portions of the county were then the only
parts of it that protruded from the wide extent
of waters, and in the form of small detached
islands.* _^_
* We are mainly indebted for the materials of this chapter to Prof. Will-
iam W. Mather's Ji<:^i!ri on the Geoloiy 0/ the First Geological DU-
tricto/tfew York.
96
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
CHAPTER XI.
Internal Improvements — Routes by which the
Pioneers Reached their Wilderness Homes
— Navigable Streams the Public Highways —
Indian Trails — Early Roads — Early Exper-
iments IN Steam Navigation at De Koven's
Bay — Early Railroad Enterprises in Duch-
ess County — Duchess Railroad Co. — Pough-
KEEPSiE & Eastern Railroad Co. — Pough-
keepsie, Hartford & Boston Railroad Co. —
Duchess & Columbia Railroad Co. — New-
burgh, Duchess & Connecticut Railroad
Co. — Hudson River Railroad Co. — New
York & Harlem Railroad Co. — Boston,
Hartford & Erie Extension Railroad Co. —
New York & New England Railroad Co. —
Other Railroad Projects — Clove Branch
Railroad Co. — Rhinebeck & Connecticut
Railroad Co. — Projected and Abandoned
Enterprises — The Poughkeepsie Bridge Co.
WE have given some attention in a pre-
vious chapter to the subject of pioneer
settlements; in this we purpose considering the
means by which the pioneer reached his home in
the wilderness, and the projects of internal im-
provement which subsequently engaged his atten-
tion. As we have seen, the first settlers came by
way of the Hudson, near which the first settlements
were begun. Settlements slowly progressed in the
interior, along the streams, which were the first,
and, for some years, almost the only highways in
the county. Gradually they diverged from these
into forests, unbroken, except by the small rude
clearings made by the - Indians, following the
well-worn trails left by the latter, and from these
branched off into routes indicated by blazed trees,
which were the forest guide boards, and by their
aid the forests were traversed from one locality
to another. But these human denizens could not
prosper in their isolated settlements; they must
needs open communication with each other and to
points affording amarket for their surplus products;
to this end roads were indispensable and of the first
importance.
In 1 73 1, the number of inhabitants had increased
so that an order was made by the Justices of the
county to lay out a road to Dover, and employ
freeholders to assess damages for property taken,
etc., the object being to enable the people "to
come down to the market or common landing at
Pgughkeepsie."* In 1738, the Assembly passed
* Poughkeepsie Weekly Eagle, July 8, 1876.
"an act for the better clearing and further laying
into public high roads in Duchess County.", Sau-
thier's map, published in 1779, shows a principal
road extending through the towns bordering the
Hudson, known as the post-road, with several
others branching from it, one at its intersection
with Crom Elbow Creek, extending thence north
through Rhinebeck and Red Hook to Tivoli
(Hoffman's Ferry,) and having three branches ex-
tending northerly and north-easterly into Living-
ston Manor ; a second, extending from Rhinecliff,
(Kip's Ferry,) easterly to Thompson's Pond; a
third, north-easterly from Fishkill to Verplank's
mill, on Sprout Creek ; and a fourth, south-easterly
from Fishkill, through Putnam County, to Danbury
in Connecticut. Two roads entered the county on
the east from Sharon, one extending westerly to the
central part of the Great Nine Partners' Tract, and
the other south-westerly across the Oblong, termi-
nating below Dover. Another road intersected that *
extending from Rhinecliff to Thompson's Pond
near the intersection of Clinton, Milan a:nd Rhine-
beck, and extended south-easterly through Clinton,
Washington and Dover, crossing the Oblong road,
apparently, near Dover Plains, and thence to New
Fairfield and Danbury in Connecticut. A map ac-
companying Anburefs Travels, in 1777, shows
only one road, (which, however, is not indicated
on Sauthier's map.) It enters the county from
Sharon, and passes south-westerly through "Nine
Partners," Hopewell and Fishkill, crossing the Hud-
son to " Newberry," (Newburgh.) The map accom-
panying DeCkastellux's Travels, 1 780-1 782, shows
the same road ; but what is called "Nine Partners"
on the former, is designated "Neventsorp" on the
latter, which also shows the post-road running par-
allel with the Hudson. The road indicated on the
latter maps is the one pursued by the British army
under Burgoyne after the Convention at Saratoga,
to Charlottesville in Virginia. But we need not
multiply details in regard to these common high-
ways ; suflSce it to say that they multiplied accord-
ing to the needs of the people.
It is an interesting fact that one of the first ex-
periments in steam navigation was made within the
waters of this county — at DeKoven's Bay, just below
Tivoli— by Chancellor Robert R. Livingston and
an Englishman named Nesbit, the latter of whom
was employed by Livingston to build a steamboat
at that place, in 1797, from plans. furnished by Liv-
ingston. The project was unsuccessful, but the
effort was renewed, and ultimate success achieved
through the liberality, perseverance and intelligent
THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL STEAMBOAT.
97
energy of Livingston, combined with the genius of
Robert Fulton, whose acquaintance he made in
Paris, while serving as ambassador to the French
Court. In August, 1807, the " Clermont;' named
from Chancellor Livingston's home on the Hud-
son, but called by the incredulous populace " Ful-
ton's Folly," the first successful steamboat, with its
quaint wooden boiler, was launched at New York,
and on the 7th of September following set out on
her first trial trip to Albany. The distance of 150
miles was accomplished in thirty-two hours. The
following advertisement appeafed in the Albany
Gazette of September 2, 1807 : —
"The North River Steamboat will leave Pauler's
Hook, [now Jersey City,] on Friday, the 4th day
of September, at 9 o'clock in the morning, and
arrive at Albany on Saturday at 9 in the evening.
Provisions, good berths, and accommodations are
provided. The charge for each passenger* will be
as follows : —
• "To Newburgh, 14 Hours, Fare, $3.
" Poughkeepsie, 17 " " 4.
" Esopus, 20 " " 5.
" Hudson, 30 " " i\.
" Albany, 36 " " 7."
Early in the history of railroad enterprises the
project of a railroad from Poughkeepsie to the rich
and thriving regions of the Eastern States was agi-
tated, but not until 1872 were the hopes then ex-
pressed fully realized. Some years before the first
railroad in America was built, at Quincy, Mass., in
1826, in which year the first railroad company was
chartered in this State, though the road was not
in operation till 1831, a letter appeared in the
Poughkeepsie Journal and another in the Tele-
graph, proposing a road from Poughkeepsie to
Sharon, but the people of that day thought a canal
from Amenia to Hudson River would furnish bet-
ter and more speedy means of communication, and
a charter for such canal was obtained. In the
discussion of the relative merits of the two projects,
however, nothing was done. March 28, 1832, the
Duchess Railroad Co., of which William Davies and
his associates were incorporators, was chartered to
construct a railroad from Poughkeepsie to the
Connecticut State line. William Davies, Henry
ConkUn, Paraclete Potter, Homer Wheaton and
Morgan Carpenter were appointed commissioners
to receive subscriptions. The capital was fixed at
$600,000. No action was taken under this char-
ter, except that the project excited considerable
discussion, and the route was surveyed, also a
route to the State line in North East, Henry Whin-
field and William Dewey being the engineers. May
*Clarksotfs Clermont or Livitigston Manor, 113-138,
2Si 1836, the company was rechartered under the
same title, and a capital of $1,000,000, but with
greater latitude in the location of the route, which
might extend from Poughkeepsie to the Massa-
chusetts or Connecticut State line. Gideon P.
Hewett, James Grant, Jr., Homer Wheaton,
Peter P. Hayes, Isaac Merritt, Abijah S. Hatch,
John D. Robinson, Thomas WilUams, Jacob
Van Benthuysen, Matthew Vassar, Samuel B.
Dutton, George P. Oakley and Henry Conklin
were named commissioners to receive subscrip-
tions. Beyond the surveying of routes east to
Amenia and through Pine Plains and North East
nothing was done under this charter, and the mat-
ter was allowed to sleep till 1855, when a meeting
was called at Washington Hollow of all who were
in favor of a road from the east part of the county
to the Hudson. Quite a number were present
from the central part of the county, and a few from
Poughkeepsie, but during the meeting the ques-
tion was agitated, as it was subsequently, whether
the terminus should be Poughkeepsie or Fishkill.
The advocates of the latter terminus were in the
majority and voted accordingly, whereupon the
Poughkeepsie people withdrew from the enterprise,
and it was dropped for ten years.
The idea of a railroad, however, was not lost sight
of, and renewed agitation resulted in the construc-
tion of a road from each place. Isaac Piatt, the
senior editor of the Poughkeepsie Eagle was always
a strong advocate of the Poughkeepsie route. He
wrote in favor of it from 1826, and took occasion
whenever opportunity offered to publish articles on
the subject. Among these was a series of com-
munications from the civil engineer, then residing
at Poughkeepsie, whose statements attracted con-
siderable attention, and new movements were pro-
posed. The breaking out of the war in 1861,
again put a stop to all operations, but some time
in 1863, they were resumed, and the people began
to feel something like a general interest in them.
In the spring of 1865, there was quite an arousing
on the subject. Another meeting was held at
Washington Hollow, and hostility to Poughkeepsie
again appeared. It was then that the representa-
tives of Poughkeepsie resolved to abandon all
action in that direction and act independently.
A meeting was then called at Salt Point, which
was adjourned for a more general one at Bangall.
This latter meeting was largely attended, an organ-
ization under the general railroad law was formed,
and it was resolved to have the requisite surveys
made for the road, which was to be built from
98
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
Poughkeepsie, via Pine Plains to Ancram or
Copake, and thence to the Connecticut line. The
survey was made by P. P. Dickinson, who re-
ported February 15, 1866, the estin:iated cost of
the road and equipments at $1,002,206.80.
April 15, 1866, the Poughkeepsie & Eastern
Railroad Co. was incorporated, with a capital of
$1,000,000, to construct a road over the above
route, with a branch at or near Salt Point to the
Harlem road at Wassaic. The first directors were :
George Innis, Isaac Piatt, James G. Wood, George
Morgan, Harvey G. Eastman and Robert F. Wilk-
inson, Poughkeepsie; Pomeroy P. Dickinson,
Birdsall Cornell and William Cor win, New York;
William Eno, Pine Plains ; Piatt G. Van VUet and
Stephen T. Angell, Pleasant Valley; James M.
Welling, Washington; Elihu Griffin, Clinton;
Isaac Carpenter, Stanford ; George Peasley and
Conrad Niver, Ancram. The first meeting of the
directors was held at the office of the company in
Poughkeepsie, April 28, i856, and the following
named officers were chosen : President, George
Innis ; Vice-President, George Morgan ; Treas-
urer, Isaac G. Sands ; Secretary, Robert F. Wilk-
inson ; Attorney, Mark D. Wilber ; Chief Engineer,
P. P. Dickinson. George Morgan, H. G. East-
man, James G. Wood, Birdsall Cornell, Piatt G.
Van Vliet, William Eno and Conrad Niver were
constituted an Executive Committee, with authority
to employ agents in the city and towns to obtain
subscriptions to stock.
Meantime the opposition project of a railroad
to Fishkill was revived, with greater force, and,
receiving a powerful ally in the person of George
H. Broivn, of Washington, made rapid progress.
Some of the Poughkeepsie people were in favor of
a road more directly east from Amenia instead of
the route to Pine Plains, and this idea was fostered
as much as possible by the friends of the Fishkill
road. At the same time a violent opposition dis-
played itself among the largest property holders
and prominent men in Poughkeepsie, and but for
George Innis, President of the Fallkill Bank, the
untiring energy of Mark D. Wilber, and the con-
tinued efforts of the Eagle, it is doubtful if the
enterprise would not have dropped again, a* it did
on previous occasions. In October, 1866, a series
of meetings was held in the interest of the Pough-
keepsie & Eastern Railroad at Washington Hol-
low, Bangall and Pine Plains, and addresses were
made by P. P. Dickinson, George Innis, Mark D.
Wilber, H. G. Eastman, Isaac Piatt and others.
Subscriptions to the stock of the company were
opened. It was proposed to raise $300,000 in
this way before starting to build the road, but it
was found that very little aid could be expected
from the country, as the towns on which most de-
pendence had been placed had become interested
in the Fishkill road. After a long effort, mainly
by a few men, at the head of whom Mr. Wilber
continued to be most active and persistent, the
subscription was given up, and it was decided in-
stead to bond the city for $200,000 and obtain in-
dividual subscriptions for $100,000.
By great labor and persistency, mainly through
the persevering efforts of Mark D. Wilber, the
project of bonding the city proved successful; and
April I, 1869, a small number of men proceeded
to a point on the farm of John A. Van Wagner,
just north of the crossing of the Salt Point turn-
pike, near the bank of the Fallkill, and there,
without special ceremony, ground was broken for
the Poughkeepsie & Eastern Railroad. In 1870,
15.26 miles of road were built; in 1871, 5.57
miles; and in 1872, 21.02 miles. Jan. 24, 1871,
the opening of the first division of twenty-one
miles, from Poughkeepsie to Stissing, was cele-
brated by an excursion over that portion of the
road. In the fall of 1872, the road was completed
to the Connecticut line, and Oct. i, 1872, trains
commenced running regularly from Poughkeepsie
to that point, a distance of forty-three miles.
There then remained to be built the division be-
tween Smith street in Poughkeepsie and the Hud-
son River, the grading on which was pretty much
done, and the laying of the rails commenced. The
road is 44.88 miles long. It follows the line of the
Fallkill, and thence crosses to the valley of Wap^
pinger Creek, up which it continues to the north
line of the county, thence passes east around the
north end of the range of hills that enclose the
Harlem Railroad, and reaches the* State line at
the terminus of the Connecticut Western Rail-
road;' near Millerton. It touches the Duchess &
Columbia (now Newburgh, Duchess & Connecti-
cut,) at Stissing, and crosses the Harlem at Boston
Corners.
The stations and their distances on this road
from Poughkeepsie in miles are as follows :
Van Wagner's, 3.79; Pleasant Valley, 6.04; Rus-
sell's, 8.02; Salt Point, 10.64; Clinton Corners,
13-13 J Willow Brook, 15.72; Stanfordville,
17-71; Mclntyre, 19.73; Stissing, 21.02; Pine
Plains, 26.55; Ancram Lead Mines, 30.59;
Halstead's, 32.31; Tanner's, 34.28; Boston
Corners, 37.01; Mt. Riga, 40.87; C. W. R.
RAILROAD ENTERPRISES.
99
R. Junction, 43.09 ; Millerton, 44.88. The total
cost of road and equipment to 1879, was $1,499,-
920.40. The rate of fare charged for first-class
through passengers is 3.02 cents and for first-class
way passengers, 4 cents per mile.
July I, 1870, the company executed and deliv-
ered to James Winslow as trustee a mortgage on
its road and appurtenances. Jan. 30, 1875, the
Supreme Court decreed the foreclosure of the first
mortgage bonds on the road, which were sold
April 14, 1875, 3.nd deeded May 15, 1875, to
George P. Pelton, of Poughkeepsie, who organized,
the latter date, the Poughkeepsie, Hartford &
Boston R. R. Co., with a capital of $850,000,
and associated with himself the following persons
as directors : E. L. BoUes, of New York City, and
George Innis, John F. Winslow, George R. Gay-
lord, Edward L. Beadle, Alanson Swain, John O.
Whitehouse and Michael J. Myers, of Pough-
keepsie.*
While the friends of the Poughkeepsie & East-
ern were laboring to advance the interests of that
road, even greater activity was manifested by those
favoring the Fishkill road ; and in 1865, before
either road was chartered, a section of four and
one-half miles, from Boston Corners towards Pine
Plains, had been completed and put in running
order at a cost of less than $20,000 per mile. The
survey was completed and arrangements made to
build the road to Pine Plains. Arrangements had
also been made to continue the survey to Stan-
fordville, and negotiations were pending for the
construction of the road to that point the following
summer. There it was proposed to stop until a
determination was reached as to whether the road
should terminate at Poughkeepsie or Fishkill.j
A meeting was held at Verbank, Dec. 5, 1865,
to make arrangements for having a survey for a
railroad from Boston Corners to Fishkill land-
ing. Between 200 and 300 people assembled and
organized by electing the following officers : Presi-
dent, Leonard B. Sherman; Vice Presidents,
Abm. Storms, George H. Brown, Col. John
Thompson, Jeremiah Emigh, Clark C. Barmour,
William Eno, Daniel P. Wheeler; Secretaries,
Samuel Thorn and George Potter. Alonzo Davis,
Henry Bostwick, Mark N. Wheeler, Clark C. Bar-
mour and Daniel P. Wheeler were appointed to re-
ceive subscriptions for the survey of the three routes
proposed to reach Verbank ; one by Stanford and
* We are indebted to the files of the Poughkeepsie Eagle ; the State
Engineer's Rejiort on Railroads, 1879; and other documents, for data
respecting these early railroad enterprises.
t Poughkeepsie Eagle, Nov. iS, 1865.
Washington Hollow; one by Bangall, Hart's
village and Four Corners ; and one by Thompson's
Pond, Mabbettsville and Little Rest. The follow-
ing were appointed to receive, conduct and enter-
tain the corps of engineers in surveying through
their respective towns : La Grange, A. W. Storms,
Mark H. Wheeler, James Townsend ; Union Vale,
Leonard B. Sherman, Elias N. Vail, Henry Bost-
wick ; Fishkill, Ward Emigh, Laurence Rapelyea,
Van Wyck BrinkerhofF; Pleasant Valley, D. P.
Wheeler, Capt. Pond, Henry Sutherland; Wash-
ington, Dr. John S. Thorne, Hugh B. Howard,
Timothy Preston; Stanford, Leonard Carman,
Col. John Thompson, Smith B. Tompkins.
A meeting of persons in central Duchess and
Columbia counties interested in the construction
of the proposed railroad from Fishkill to Boston
Corners, was held at Millbrook chapel, in the town
of Washington, April 26, 1866. The committee
appointed at a previous meeting to procure a sur-
vey of the routes reported that a survey had been
made under their direction, by P. P. Dickinson and
his corps of engineers, and that the estimates for
construction varied from $1,000,030 to $1,000,-
076, according to which route was adopted. A
committee was appointed to prepare articles of as-
sociation and other papers necessary to complete
an organization for the construction of the road,
with power to adopt a suitable name. The survey
committee were instructed to employ a new corps
of engineers to examine the routes as surveyed for
the purpose of verifying the estimates of the for-
mer engineers, and ascertaining if any advantageous
alterations could be made. WiUiam Eno was
added to that committee.
An organization was effected that year (1866)
under the name of the Duchess & Columbia Rail-
road Co., and articles for an eastern branch, sixteen
miles long, were filed Oct. 11,1867. Forty-three
miles of road were completed and opened to public
travel in 1869, and an additional fifteen miles, in
1871. The road extends from Duchess Junction
on the Hudson River road in Fishkill, through the
towns of Fishkill, East Fishkill, La Grange, the
north-west corner of Union Vale, Washington,
Stanford, Pine Plains and North East, to Miller-
ton, where it connects with the Harlem road. Its
total length is 58.58 miles. The cost of road and
equipment to 1879, "^^s $2,258,342.29. In 1873,
the road was consolidated with the New York,
Boston & Northern Railroad. August 5, 1876, it
was sold under foreclosure of mortgage. J. N.
Whiting, of New York City, purchased the road.
100
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
with the exception of a small sectioiij in the inter-
est of the first mortgage bondholders, paying there-
for $297,500. J. P. Lowry, also of New York
City, purchased the balance, the right of way to
the river, for the third and fourth mortgage bond-
holders, for $40,000. These purchases did not
include the rolMng stock, which was the property
of the Brown family. A reorganization was effect-
ed and chartered under the name of the Newburgh,
Duchess & Connecticut Railroad Co., Jan. 15,
1877, with the following directors : John N. Whit-
ing, John S. Schultze and Samuel Thorn, of New
York City ; William Schultze, of Manchester, N.
J. ; Joseph Howland, of Matteawan ; R. G. Coffin,
of Washington ; W. S. Eno and W. W. Sayre, of
Pine Plains ; Albert Emans, La Grange ; Wm. A.
Reid and Oliver Davidson, Silver Lake ; John S.
Emans, East Fishkill.
The stations and distances on this road in miles
from Duchess Junction are: Matteawan, 1.8;
Groveville, — ; Glenham, 3.8; Fishkill, 5.92;
BrinckerhofT, 7.07 ; Hopewell, 12.11 ; Clove
Branch Junction, 13.37 i Arthursburgh, 15.70 ;
La Grange, 17.33 ; Billings, 18.8; Mooers, 21,34;
Verbank, 25.33; Coffins, 28.17; MiUbrook,
30.19; Shunpike, 33.49; Bangall, 37.03; Stis-
sing Junction, 39.84; Attlebury, 41.2 ; Pine Plains
Junction, 44.27; Pine Plains, 44.62; Bethel,
46.7 ; Shekomeko, 49.82 ; Husted, 52.45 ; Win-
chels, 54.08 ; Harlem R. R. Crossing, 58.08 ; Mil-
lerton, 58.58. The rate of fare for through pas-
sengers is 2.63, and for way passengers, 3 cents
per mile.
While these railroad projects engaged the atten-
tion of the people of Duchess, two others of greater
importance, and one of them of scarcely less local
interest, were earher pushed to completion— the
Hudson River and New York & Harlem rail-
roads—the latter of which is said to have doubled
the value of the eastern towns in this county, and
the former to have more than doubled the value of
the western towns, while the interior towns scarcely
increased a dollar during the same period.* Both
were in process of construction and were com-
pleted through the county at nearly the same
time.
The scheme of a railroad running along the east
bank of the Hudson originated in and was advo-
cated by the prominent citizens of Poughkeepsie—
most conspicuous among whom were Matthew
Vassar, D. B. Lent and A. J. Coffin-until the
capitalists of New York and other places were con-
*P(mihieefsU Eagle, Nov. iS, l86;. ' "
vinced of its feasibility, its safe investment, and its
great practical worth as a connecting link with the
commercial channels of the North and West. The
first survey of the road was paid for by Poughkeep-
sians; and it was through their influence that a
charter was obtained May 12, 1846. The con-
struction of the road was commenced in 1847, and
seventy-five miles were completed in 1849, which
year it was in part first opened to the public. It
was opened to Peekskill, from New York, Sept. 29,
1849 ; to New Hamburgh, Dec. 6, 1849 ; and to
Poughkeepsie, Dec. 3 1, 1849. The road was rapidly
completed, and the northern section was opened
from Albany to Hudson, June 16, 1851 ; to Tivolij
Aug. 4, 1851; and through its entire length, from
New York to Albany, a distance of 143^ miles,
Oct. I, 1851. It has 3,018 feet of tunnels, varying
from 60 to 835 feet, one of which is through sohd
rock just above New Hamburgh in this county.
Nov. I, 1869, it was consolidated with the New
York Central Railroad, under the name of New
York Central & Hudson River Railroad. The
second track of this road (the Hudson River,) was
laid in 1863-64.
The stations within this county upon this line of
road and their distance in miles from 30th street,
New York, are: Duchess Junction, 57.16; Fish-
kill, 58.85; Low Point, 62.38; New Hamburgh,
64.95 ; Milton Ferry, 69.41 ; Poughkeepsie, 73.3;
Hyde Park, 79.01 ; Staatsburgh, 83.42 ; Rhine-
beck, 88.75; Barrytown, 94.35 ; Tivoli, 98.59; the
latter being 43.54 miles from Albany.
The project of the road was emphatically a
child of Poughkeepsie, and hence there was great
rejoicing among her citizens when ground wa*s
broken for its construction. A number of the
leading citizens celebrated the event by a grand
supper, given March 4, 1847, at th@> Poughkeepsie
Hotel, then kept by John H. Rutzer. One who
was present says it surpassed anything of the kind
ever witnessed in Poughkeepsie. The large dining
hall of the Poughkeepsie Hotel was handsomely
and appropriately decorated, and the table was
filled to overflowing with the choicest viands, with
a minature locomotive and train of cars, in sugar,
for a center piece. After the removal of the cloth
several toasts were read. That to "The Pioneers
of the Hudson River Railroad" called out Mat-
thew Vassar; "Our Merchants" was responded
to by Hon. James Bowne ; " The Bar," by La)nard
Maison ; and " the Press," by Theopolus Gillinder,
then editor of the Poughkeepsie American. While
this animated scene was enacting there was
RAILROAD ENTERPRISES.
loi
general rejoicing in the streets. " On Main and
Market streets bon-fires sent up volumes of flames
and smoke, and young and old of both sexes
thronged the sidewalks, while Young America
hurled fire balls through the 'air." Some of the
citizens "illuminated their residences and called
in their neighbors to partake of bountiful spreads
which they had prepared in the exuberance of
their joy."*
The New York & Harlem Railroad Co. was char-
tered April 25, 183 1, to build a road from 23d street.
New York, to Harlem, and commenced the con-
struction of their road Feb. 24, 1832. One mile
was built and opened that year, an additional mile
in 1833, and two miles in each of the years 1834,
'37 and '39. In 1840, the company were allowed
to extend to meet the New York & Albany Rail-
road, and in 1842, they opened an additional six
miles of road, and twelve^miles in 1844. In 1845
they were allowed to continue this road to Albany.
Twenty-five miles of road were opened in 1847;
twenty-nine miles in 1848; and fifty-one miles in
1852, on the 19th of January in which year it was
opened to Chatham Four Corners, where it con-
nected with the Albany & West Stockbridge Rail-
road. April 23, 1870, it was continued by the
Harlem Extension Railroad from Chatham Four
Corners to Vermont and Canada, thus forming a
great through Une of travel. That part of the road
operated by steam — north of Harlem — is leased to
the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad
Co. In this county it passes in a northerly direc-
tion through the eastern tier of towns.
The stations upon this line of road within this
county and their distances in miles from the Grand
Central Depot in New York are: Pawling, 63;
South Dover, 69; Dover Plains, 76; Wassaic, 81 ;
Amenia, 84; Sharon, 87; Coleman's, 88; Miller-
ton, 92 ; Mt. Riga, 95.
The Boston, Hartford & Erie Extension Rail-
road Co. organized to build a railroad from Fishkill
landing to the Connecticut State line, filed articles
of association Oct. i, 1863, and was consolidated
with the Boston, Hartford & Erie Railroad Co.
Aug. 23, 1864. About eighty per cent, of the
grading from Hopewell was finished in 1870. Pos-
session was taken by trustees, under the terms of a
mortgage, Sept. 13, 1871, and work on the road
was for some time suspended. In 1873, the name
was changed to the New York & New England
Railroad. In June, 1877, the road was completed
from Boston to WilHmantic and from Providence,
* The Sunday Courier, Poughkeepsie, Oct. ii, 1S73.
R. I., to Waterbury, Conn., with sundry branches,
and partly graded from Waterbury to Hopewell
Junction. In that year a committee of the Massa-
chusetts Legislature examined the route to deter-
mine whether it was best for the State to complete
or sell the road. At present, (1881,) a branch of
the road between Hopewell and Brewsters on the
Harlem road in Putnam County is under construc-
tion.
The Cornwall Suspension Bridge Railroad and
the Eastern Branch of the Duchess & Columbia
Railroad were projects of 1868, but both were
abandoned. The former was organized with a
capital of two and a half miUion dollars, as a
branch of the Erie Railway from Fishkill to New-
burgh, and filed articles Jan. 14, 1868.
Clove Branch Railroad Co. was chartered Nov.
21, 1868, with a capital of $150,000, to construct
a road from Clove Branch Junction to Sylvan
Lake, a distance of 4.25 miles, which was built and
opened in 1869. April 28, 1870, the company were
allowed to extend their road from any point on the
line then located, into or through East Fishkill,
Fishkill, Beekman or Union Vale, by a branch to
any iron mines in those towns, also a branch from
the Duchess & Columbia Railroad. A branch was
opened in 1877, from Sylvan Lake to Clove Val-
ley, a distance of 4.01 miles, and is leased to the
New York, Boston & Montreal Railroad.
The stations and distances in miles from Clove
Branch Junction are : Adriance, 1.77 ; Sylvan Lake,
3.31 ; Ore MineSj 4.09 ; Beekman, 6.09 ; Clove Val-
ley, 8.04.
The Rhinebeck & Connecticut Railroad Co. was
chartered June 29, 1870, with a capital of $1,000,-
000, for the purpose of building a railroad from
RhinecUff, on the Hudson River road in Rhine-
beck, to the State Une. Amended articles of asso-
ciation were filed with the Secretary of State in
1872, in the fall of which year construction was
commenced. Wm. Chamberlain, Wm. B. Piatt,
Ambrose Wager, Thomas Cornell, Anthony Ben-
son, Edward Martin and John S. Thompson were
the;n the directors. Twenty-eight miles of road
were finished and opened in 1874, and 7.2 miles
in 1875. The entire length of the main line is
41.6 miles.* The cost of road and equipment up
to 1879 was $1,440,920.30.
The stations upon this road and their dis-
tances in miles from RhinecUff are : Rhinebeck, 3;
Red Hook, 7.4; Spring Lake, 11.2; EUerslie,
* The track from Boston Corners to State Line, 6.4 miles, is held under
lease.
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
13.6 J Jackson Corners, 17.6; Mount Ross, 19.3;
GallatinviUe, 23; Ancram, 25.4;' Copake, 31.5;
Boston Corners, 35.2; Mount Riga, 38.6; State
Line, (C. W. R. R. Junction) 41:6.
The Putnam & Duchess Railroad Co. filed arti-
cles April 4, 1 87 1. It was formed for the purpose
of constructing a railroad from a point on the New
York & Boston Railroad in Carmel northerly to
the Duchess & Columbia road, at or near Hope-
well, a distance of about twenty miles. The cap-
ital of the company was $1,000,000. It was con-
solidated in 1873 with the New York, Boston &
Northern Railroad Co., which the same year was
consolidated with the New York, Boston & Mon-
treal Railroad Co.
The Iron Hill Railroad Co. in Duchess and Put-
nam counties, was chartered in 1873, but has
become extinct ; likewise the Pine Plains & Rhine-
beck Railroad Co., chartered the same year. The
Fishkill & Newburgh Railroad Co. was chartered
in 1876 to build a road from the terminus of the
Duchess & Columbia road to Newburgh, but it is
not in operation. The Poughkeepsie Grand Junc-
tion Railroad Co., formed to build a road from the
west bank of the Hudson, at a point in the town
of Lloyd, Ulster County, to connect with a Hne of
railroad designed to cross the proposed Poughkeep-
sie bridge, and extending thence south-westerly
twelve miles to a point on the Wallkill Valley Rail-
road, in the town of Gardiner, Ulster County,
filed articles Feb. 27, 1879, and, with the State
Line & Eastern Railroad Co., which filed articles
April 18, 1879, and was formed to build a road
from the point where the Poughkeepsie Grand
Junction should intersect the Wallkill Valley road,
to the locality of Port Jervis, was consolidated to
form the Poughkeepsie & Grand Junction Railroad
Co., which filed articles June 14, 1879.
The Poughkeepsie Bridge Co. was incorporated
May 10, 1872, with a capital of $2,000,000, for
the purpose of building a bridge for a railroad and
common road travel across the Hudson at Pough-
keepsie, a project first publicly suggested by Mr.
T. G. Nichols, in an article in the Daily Press, of
Poughkeepsie, of which he was then editor, dated
January 19, 1854, as a means of establishing a
direct and expeditious communication between the
manufacturing interests of the East and the limit-
less coal and ore fields of Pennsylvania, Virginia
and the West. The charter provided that the work
of construction should be begun before July r,
1872, and finished before 1876; that the bridge
should be so built as not to obstruct navigation, and
at least 130 feet above high tide. No pier was to
be built outside the pier limits then established by
law. In 1872, the charter was amended, so that
the shore abutment of the bridge should not be
constructed beyond the river line of the whale-
dock property on the east side of the river, nor
beyond the river line of the ferry-dock on the west
side, and the company were permitted to construct
and maintain besides the shore abutments, piers of
masonry in the river, not exceeding four in num-
ber, and distant from each other and the shore
abutments not less than five hundred feet. The
time limited for the commencement of the bridge
was extended to January i, 1874, and for its com-
pletion and opening for use to January i, 1879.
The officers of the company in 1872, were: John
F. Winslow, President ; Robert F. Wilkinson, Sec-
retary ; George Innis, John M. Toucey, Matthew
Vassar, Homer A. Nelson, P. P. Dickinson, Charles
Wheaton, Charles W. Swift, William A. Davies,
and Judge Anthony, Directors. A meeting of
stock-holders was held in Poughkeepsie, September
5, 1873, and a permanent organization was effected
as follows : Directors, J. Edgar Thompson, Phila-
delphia, of the Pennsylvania R. R., A. L. Dennis,
Newark, President N. J. R. R. & T. Co., Hon. H.
G. Eastman, LL. D., Mayor of Poughkeepsie and
President of Eastman's National Business College,
Andrew Carnegie, New York, of the Keystone
Bridge Works and Union Iron Mills of Pittsburg,
Charles G. Franklyn, of New York, Cunard Steam-
ship Co., David Solomon, New York, Financial
Agent Penn. R. R. Co., Andrew J. Cassatt, Phila-
delphia, General Manager Penn. R. R., George P.
Pelton, Poughkeepsie, President Poughkeepsie and
Eastern R. R., P. P. Dickinson, Poughkeepsie,
Chief Engineer P. & E. R. R., Strickland Kneass,
Philadelphia, Asst. President Peng. R. R. Co.,
Gardiner F. McCandless, New York, Treas. I. M.
& N. R. R. Co. ; President, A. L. Dennis ; Vice-
President, H. G. Eastman ; Treasurer, G. F.
McCandless ; Secretary, Charles B. Thurston •
Assistant Secretary and Attorney, R. F. Wilkinson.
The work of construction was commenced in the
summer of 1876, and two piers carried above the
surface of the water, in which condition it still
remains, doubtful if further work on it will soon be
prosecuted. The proposed bridge is to be a mag-
nificent and costly structure. The iron work is to be
sixty-four feet in height, above the piers, thus mak-
ing the total height from the water to the top of
the bridge at least one hundred and ninety-four feet.
Its construction wiU necessitate the erection of an
ORGANIZATION OF THE DUCHESS COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY.
103
independent temporary wooden bridge from shore
to shore, at an estimated cost of $400,000. It is
proposed to lay the railroad track on the top chord
of the bridge.*
CHAPTER XII.
County Societies — Early Legislation on Medi-
cal Subjects — Duchess County Medical So-
ciety— Organization, Constituent Members
and First Officers — Digest of By-Laws —
Early Legislative Enactments by the So-
ciety— Names of Successive Presidents —
Names of Members from the Organization
OF THE Society — Rise and Spread of Home-
opathy— Its Introduction into Duchess
County — Homeopathic Medical Society of
Duchess County — Organization — Successive
Presidents — Names of Members from the Or-
ganization of the Society — Duchess County
Mutual Insurance Company.
THE practice of " physic and surgery" in the
city of New York was first regulated by leg-
islative enactment June 10, 1760, and afterwards
by an act of March, 1792. March 23, 1797, the
first general regulation was attempted, by author-
izing the Chancellor, a Judge of the Supreme or
Common Pleas Court, or Master in Chancery, to
license physicians or surgeons, upon evidence of
their having studied two years, etc., and the act
of 1792 was repealed. The act of 1797 was
amended in 1801, and again in 1803. The pen-
alty for practicing without a license at this period
was the prohibition to receive remuneration, and
the imposition of a fine of twenty-five dollars each
time pay was received. April 4, 1 806, an act of the
Legislature authorized the establishment of County
Medical Societies and a general State Medical So-
ciety, and repealed the former acts ; and this act
was incorporated in that of April 10, 1813, which
prohibited persons from practicing "physic and
surgery" without having passed an examination and
received a diploma from a medical society, which
they were required to have recorded in the County
Clerk's office, under penalty of being forever dis-
qualified from collecting any debt incurred by such
practice in any court in this State, and of forfeit-
ing twenty-five dollars for each offence of which
they might be convicted, provided they received
pay or reward for their services. Any person, how-
* The Sunday Courier, Poughkeepsie, September 7, 187s ; Hough's
Gazetteer of the State of New York, 260 ; and other documents.
ever, was permitted to use for the benefit of the
sick, " any roots, bark or herbs, the growth or pro-
duce of the United States.'' Every applicant for a
license was required to produce " satisfactory tes-
timony that he had regularly studied physic and
surgery or both * * * with one or more rep-
utable practitioner or practitioners for the term of
three years ;" but before being allowed to practice
he must have attained the age of twenty-one years.
The law authorized qualified physicians and sur-
geons, not less than five in number, in counties
where no medical society then existed, to organize
such society, and empowered them not only to grant
licenses but to recognize diplomas granted by other
States and countries as well as those received from
the Regents of the University and Geneva Medical
College. They were endowed with the usual cor-
porate powers, and permitted to hold real and per-
sonal property not exceeding in value $ i .000. They
might require the payment by their members of a
sum not exceeding three dollars, and by each prac-
ticing physician and surgeon in the county a sum
not exceeding one dollar a year, for procuring a
medical library and apparatus, and encouraging
useful discoveries in chemistry, botany, etc. The
amended law of April 20, 1818, modified these
provisions somewhat, and also required " every
practitioner of medicine in this State to report him-
self to and connect himself with the medical so-
ciety in the county" in which he resided. If any
failed to comply, his license was forfeited and he
subjected to the provisions and penalties applicable
to unlicensed physicians.
Sept. 20, 1806, the following named physicians
of Duchess county, being a majority of the physi-
cians in the county, met at Cunningham's Hotel
agreeable to public notice, and formed the Duch-
ess County Medical Society, viz : John W. Smith,
Amenia; Ebenezer Carey and Thomas Laffen,
Beekman ; Cyrus B6rry, George W. Cook, James
Downs, WiUiam Ely and Thomas Quinlan, Clin-
ton; Abraham Halsey, John Pinckney, Joseph
Rogers, James Thorn and Bartow White, Fishkill ;
Uri Judd, North East ; David Delavan and James
Scovel, Pawling ; John Chamberlain, Caleb Child,
Daniel Dayton, John Thomas, Charles Waldo,
Baltus L. Van Kleeck and J. Livingston Van-
Kleeck, Poughkeepsie ; David Tomlinson and
Wm. W. Wheeler, Rhinebeck ; Richard Bartlett;
Amasa Beeckman and Ezekiel H. Gurnsey, Stan-
ford ; and Benjamin Delavergne and Wm. Lathrop,
Washington. Benjamin Delavergne was chairman,
and Abraham Halsey, secretary of the meeting.
104
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
The following officers were elected : Samuel Bard,
of Hyde Park, President ; Benjamin Delavergiie,
Vice-President ; Robert Noxon, Treasurer, and J.
Livingston Van Kleeck, Secretary. After the
election of the above officers, the Vice-President,
Benjamin Delavergne, took the chair, and the fol-
lowing were elected Censors : Ebenezer Carey,
John Thomas, Wm. Lathrop, David Tomlinson
and Abraham Halsey. Wm. Wheeler was appointed
delegate to the State Society. John Thomas,
Bartow White, Thomas Laflfen, Wm. Ely and J.
Livingston Van Kleeck were appointed to draft a
code of by-laws.
Dr. Samuel Bard, who was elected President,
had retired from active life. He lived and prac-
ticed medicine in the city of New York, before,
during and after the Revolution of 1776. He was
a very successful practitioner, and, though not a
great author, had published a treatise written in
1 77 1, on Angina Suffocata, and another on the
" Use of Cold" in hemorrhage. His greatest and
best work was a treatise on obstetrics — a work the
more valuable because it was written and published
after he had retired, and not written to gain a reputa-
tion, but to give the young practitioner good ideas
particularly on the subject of the cautious use of
instruments in obstetrics. Thatcher says, in his
biography of medical men, that in 1813, Dr. Bard
was appointed President of the College of Physi-
cians and Surgeons in New York, which position
he held during the remainder of his life.*
At the second meeting, held at the same place
the second Tuesday in November, 1806, it was
" voted that the annual contribution be two dol-
lars."t By-laws, which every member of the So-
ciety was required to sign, were adopted. They
provided, among other things, that the annual
meetings of the Society should be held the second
Tuesday in November in every year, and the semi-
annual meetings the second Tuesday in May.
The delegate, in addition to his other duties, was
required " to support the honor and dignity of the
Society." Provision was made for the punishment
of all persons practicing "physic and surgery"
contrary to the law of April 4, 1806. " The cen-
sors, having been irregularly chosen at the last
meeting," were re-appointed at this. The delegate
seems to have performed satisfactorily the impor-
tant duty assigned him, for at the meeting of May
II, 1807, he was thanked for his services as such,,
"andfor his generous refusal to be remunerated for
.//To °'' ^".^«^'"='= ''«/'"• read before the Duchess County
Medical Society at Wappmgers Falls, June 8, 1881.
t May II, 1819, this was repealed and the amount fixed at $1
those services." At the latter date it was resolved
" that every candidate for admission de jure into
this Society shall produce to the Society a certifi-
cate of his legal qualification to practice physic and
surgery, according to the former laws of the State,
or that at least four members of the Society shall
vouch for his qualification."
Nov. II, 1807, the President, or, in his absence,
the Vice-President, was required to appoint three
persons in the order in which their names were
subscribed to the by-laws, to read dissertations on
some medical subject before the Society at its next
stated meeting.
Jan. 23, 1808, the by-laws were amended. The
Society resolved to confer licenses to practice
twice each year, at the annual and semi-annual
meetings; also to "give out twice in every six
months before each peri«l, a medical case, ques-
tion or aphorism," on which each candidate was
expected to write a short dissertation, to " be de-
Uvered to the Secretary at least fourteen days
before the next stated meeting, for the perusal
of such members as may choose to examine it."
The first examination was to be held on the morn-
ing of each stated meeting ; " be private before the
censors and such mernbers only as the candidate
might choose to invite," and " relate to anatomy,
physiology, chemistry, pharmacy, pathology and
therapeutics, on all of which, the candidate mani-
festing competent knowledge, the censors shall give
him a certificate thereof under their hands." The
second examination was to be public, on the after-
noon of the same day, and '' consist of a defense
by the candidate of such opinion as he may have
advanced in his dissertation, against the objections
which may be raised by the examiners," who were to
be chosen at every meeting of the Society for that
purpose. The candidate, having passed a satisfac-
tory examination, was required to repeat aloud and
subscribe to the following solemn declaration :—
"I, A. B., before God and this assembly, do
solemnly promise and declare that I will, at aU
times, practice the profession of physic and surgery
to which I am now to be licensed, cautiously, dili-
gently and conscientiously, and to the best of my
abilities, for the good of my patients, the care of
their diseases and the preservation of their health ;
tha.t I will, on no occasion, sacrifice them either to
the hope of reward, the gratification of resentment,
inexcusable negligence, or to any other motive
whatsoever ; that I will never conspire against the
life of the fetus, and that I will sacredly keep all
such secrets as shall be confided to me in my pro-
fessional capacity, which, as a citizen, I am not
bound to reveal."
DUCHESS COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY.
105
Nov. 12, 181 1, the by-law relative to the exam-
ination of applicants for licenses, passed Feb. 22,
1808, was amended so as to make the day of ex-
amination ■ the day preceding the meeting of the
society, and May 9, 1815, was again amended so
as to permit the censors, by order of the President,
to convene on any day for that purpose, except
the days of the annual and semi-annual meetings
of the society. Nov. 14, 1815, it was "resolved
that the examination of the students shall be in the
presence of the Society in future, at their annual
and semi-annual meetings, and the Society (with
the Censors) shall decide on his or their quaUfica-
tion." Nov. 12, 1816, the by-law relating to
examination of students passed Nov. 14, 1815, was
repealed, and the law passed in 1806, "revived."
At that meeting also the Society concurred in the
efforts of the Albany .County Medical Society to
secure an amendment to the law regulating the
practice of physic and surgery in this State, so as
to make it unlawful for Censors of incorporated
medical societies in this State to proceed to the
examination of a student for hcense to practice
physic and surgery unless he previously exhibit a ,
certificate of having attended at least one session
of some of the medical colleges in the United
States or in Europe.
At a meeting held in January, 1809, the society
emphatically dissented from the proposed action
of the Medical Society of the City and County of
New York, which contemplated recommending to
the Regents of the University, the College of Phy-
sicians and Surgeons, as a fit association to be
clothed with powers appertaining to County Med-
ical Societies. The society was apprehensive of
this abridgment of the rights vested in County
Medical Societies by the Legislature, and regarded
the measure as one calculated to reduce them to
mere automatons.
Nov. 14, 1809, the delegate to the State Medi-
cal Society was instructed to endeavor to obtain in
the Society a petition to the Legislature to repeal
so much of a recent act to organize the militia of
the State, as subjected "practitioners of physic
and surgery to a fine for omitting or refusing to
perform military duty."
Nov. lo, 1 8 13, Censors were allowed two dol-
lars per day while engaged in the business of their
office i and Nov. 14, 1815, the like amount was
voted for attendance at annual and semi-annual
meetings. At the latter date, also, it was resolved
that a sum not exceeding $160 be appropriated
froi5 the moneys in " the treasury of the Society,
for the purchase of surgical instruments for the use
of the Society, and Drs. Halsey, Cooper and Sher-
rill were appointed to make such purchases. May
13, 1817, it was resolved that students thereafter
examined should pay to each censor present at his
examination $2, and $5 for his diploma. Nov. 11,
181 7, Dr. Sherrill described the symptoms, treat-
ment, termination and examination of a case of
polypii of the heart, and the paper was ordered
published with the proceedings of the Society.
At this meeting it was resolved to be expedient to
have a standard of prices fixed for ordinary prac-
tice, and a schedule was adopted. A standard for
medicine was also adopted, the prices varying
from six pence to four shiUings.
Aug. 28, 1821, the by-law respecting charges
was suspended until the next semi-annual meeting,
and the delegate was requested to use his influence
with the State Society to repeal their law disap-
proving a system of charges by County Societies.
May 12, 1818, the President was required to
deliver an address, publicly, on going out of office,
or in case of inability to attend, to forward to the
Secretary such address in writing to be read before
the Society. May 11, 1819, the Vice-President
was required to deliver an address at each semi-
annual meeting. Nov. 9, 1819, a committee was
appointed to purchase " surgical instruments,
books, etc," for the use of the Society, in amount
not to exceed $75. May 8, 1821, an additional
$25 was appropriated for the purchase of books,
instruments, etc., for the use of the members of
the Society. May 14, 1822, after various resolu-
tions had been offered respecting the disposition of
the surplus funds of the Society, and the sale of
the surgical instruments and books belonging to
it, it was resolved that the former be appropriated
in future to the purchase of books. May 9, 1826,
it was resolved to sell the surgical instruments of
the Society, and Nov. 13, 1832, the books. The
latter were sold Nov. 1 2, T.833.
Nov. 12, 1822, it was resolved to be "improper
that any penalty other than the annual tax of one
dollar should be exacted by law of such physicians
and surgeons as are unwiUing to become members
of the County Medical Societies." The initiation
fee, which had been two dollars, was reduced to
one.
In January, 1823, the following were unani-
mously adopted : —
"Resolved, That we deem it highly requisite
both for the honor and dignity of the medical pro-
fession as well as for the interest of the community,
io6
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
that there should be some tribunal vested with the
power of depriving unworthy practitioners of
physic and surgery of their licenses to practice.
'■'■Resolved, That we deem it just and consistent
with the dignity and utility of the medical profes-
sion, that the power to deprive of licenses should
be vested with the same body which by law has a
right to confer them.
'■'Resolved, That we concur with the medical
societies in this State which have agreed to petition
the Legislature so to amend the law relative to
physic and surgery that any medical society in this
State, on a vote of two-thirds of the members, may
have the power to deprive any practitioner of their
county guilty of malpractice or habitual intoxica-
tion, or convicted of any crime, or who may have
become so insane as to be incapable of attending
to his ordinary concerns, of his right to practice
physic and surgery, reserving always the right of
appeal to the State Medical Society or some other
tribunal established by law.
^'Resolved, That a committee of three be ap-
pointed to correspond with other medical societies,
and to petition the Legislature on the foregoing
subject."
Drs. Cooper, Sherrill and Schenck were appointed
that committee, and were also instructed at the same
meeting " to draft a memorial to the Legislature of
this State, prapng that a law may be passed prohib-
iting the sale of medicines at retail by any others
than those who have served a regular apprentice-
ship to the druggist business, or are regular practi-
tioners of physic.
In November, 1823, a new set of by-laws was
adopted.
Nov. 12, 1833, Drs. Huntington, Sherrill, Stod-
dard, Judd and Thomas T. Everitt were appointed
"to draft a memorial to the Legislature, to be sub-
mitted to the State Medical Society, praying for an
amendment to the medical law, so as to require the
botanic and other professed practitioners of med-
icine to study the length of time and undergo the
usual examinations required of regular medical
students to entitle them to practice."
Two years later, in 1835, there were 69 physi-
cians and surgeons practicing in the county, a
larger number than any other county, except
Albany, which had 77, Monroe, 84, New York,
530, Oneida, 95, and Onondaga, 80, the total
number in the State then being 2,659.*
Nov. 8, 1842, it was "resolved, that in the opin-
ion of this society the privilege of licensing prac-
titioners of medicine and surgery ought to be
abolished from the county medical societies and
from the medical schools; that the privilege of
Ifcensing ought not to be connected with teaching."
''Gordon's Gazetteer of the State of , New York, 191.
This was a period when the physicians of this
county in corhmon with others throughout the
country were deeply agitated — the period when
homeopathy began to force its just claims on pub-
lic attention and to legal recognition ; and this
action was a precursor of the legislative action
which followed in 1844, and was regarded by many
with grave and honest apprehension ; for it was
feared the action of the Legislature would prove
detrimental to the interests of the profession, and
many believed "that their efforts to advance a
sound rational system of medical education and
practice were neither appreciated by the people,
nor their representatives in the Legislature. " It has,
however, worked beneficially, in resting the prestige
of the profession upon its real, rather than its
assumed, merits.
"So far as I know," says Dr. Pine, whom we
have previously quoted, "harmony prevailed in the
society up to 1839 or '40. About that time a cir-
cumstance occurred which disturbed its harmony.
A student by the name of I. Devine came before
the censors to be examined for a license. He
was examined by them and found qualified. How-
ever, before the license was given him, the censors
heard of things which made them think his practice
would be too Utopian; consequently they refused
to give him the license. One or two law suits fol-
lowed. The society was defeated ; Devine gained
his point. His name stands on our roll. From
some cause, after that the society became unpopu-
lar, and was neglected by the great body of physi-
cians for a long time."*
There is no record of a meeting from Nov. 1 1,
1845,10 October, 1854. At the latter date a
meeting of the physicians of Duchess county was
held at Washington Hollow, and attended by Drs.
Hillis, Hughson,Thorne, Dodge, Hasbrouck, Losee,
Pine, Harvey, Bell, Campbell and Bockee. Dr.
Thorne was chosen president, and Dr. Bockee,
secretary//-^ tempore. After some discussion, and
a motion made " to organize a new society uncon-
nected with the Duchess County Medical Society''
was lost, it was resolved to reorganize that society
and Drs. Walter Hughson, Per Lee Pine and
Jacob Bockee were appointed to review its by-laws
and present them at a future meeting. Nov. 14,
1854, the by-laws were revised and the name
"changed to the Medical Society of Duchess
County." The following officers were then elected :
C. Canfield, President ; A. B. Harvey, Vice-Presi-
dent; J. G. Hillis, Secretary; C. H. Andrus,
* The Pmighkeefisie Daily Press, June lo, 1881.
THE MEDICAL SOCIETY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
107
Treasurer ; R. T. Gill, J. Cooper, J. H. Traver,
Per Lee Pine and J. Bockee, Censors. Walter
Hughson, Delegate, and A. Hasbrouck, Supernu-
merary Delegate to the State Medical Society.
The Society adjourned to meet at Dr. Pine's
office in Poughkeepsie, the second Tuesday in
February, 1855 ; but there is no further record of
a meeting till July 5, 1859, at which time an in-
formal meeting was held at the Poughkeepsie
Hotel, and attended by Drs. C. Canfield, President;
John Cooper, A. B. Harvey, R. T. Gill, Wm. Bell,
Paine and J. G. Hillis. No meetings are re-
corded between Nov. 12, 1861, and Nov. 13, 1866.
At the latter date the Secretary was directed to
apply to the Supervisors for a room in the Court
House in which to hold the meetings of the Society.
The by-laws were so amended that the annual meet-
ings were to be held the second Tuesday in May,
and the semi-annual meetings, the second Tuesday
in November. A committee was appointed to re-
vise the by-laws and schedule of charges. May 14,
1867, the name of Asahel Hall was stricken from
the role as " an irregular practitioner." June 1 1,
1867, a modified form of the fee bill of the Cayuga
County Medical Society was adopted, also revised
by-laws. The time of annual meeting was changed
to the second Tuesday in June, and semi-annual,
to the second Tuesday in January, each year, and
Washington Hollow was designated as the place of
holding the former, and Poughkeepsie, the latter.
From this period the records of the Society are
replete with reports of interesting cases, which re-
flect in a high degree the talent and professional
skill of its members. -
Jan. 14, 1868, Dr. Barker complained of the
action of the Supervisors in " unjustly " cutting
down physicians' bills and moved that a committee
be appointed to consider the subject and report
at the next meeting. Drs. Cooper, Andrus and
Webb, who were chosen as such committee, re-
ported June 9, 1868, the following, which was
adopted : —
''Resolved, by the members of the Duchess
County Medical Society, that they will in no case
accept a fee for making a post mortem examination
at the request of the Coroner, for an amount less
than the minimum specified in the schedule of the
Society ; and that they will sustain each other in
every honorable endeavor to obtain the payment
of the same by the Board of Supervisors."
The minimum fee for making a postmortem
examination by order of the Coroner was increased
from $10 to $20 when made before, and from $20
to $40, when made after interment.
The Society has not confined its eiforts to merely
local matters, but has aimed to exert a national
influence in the interests of the profession and of
humanity. Jan. 12, 1870, consideration was given
to the case of Passed Assistant Surgeon Charles
L. Green, of the United States Navy, who was
convicted by court martial for refusing to discharge
from the sick Ust an ordinary seaman, who, in his
opinion, was unfit for duty, and a committee was
appointed to invite the attention of Hon. John H.
Ketcham, Representative in Congress from this
district, to the importance of appropriate legisla-
tive action. Jan. 11, 1871, that committee re-
ported the following resolutions, which were
adopted and ordered forwarded to the Representa-
tive in Congress, who was urged to use his influence
towards procuring such legislation as would place
the medical staff on a proper footing : —
''Resolved, That the position of the medical ofl5-
cers of the navy is not that which ought to be
given to them in view of the importance and es-
sential dignity of their duties ; and that in oppos-
ing the proper assimilation in rank, the officers of
the Une have not shown that courtesy and liber-
ality which the members of one Uberal profession
have a right to expect from the members of
another.
"Resolved, That, in our opinion, the medical
staff of the United States Navy ought to be
ranked so as to correspond in its position with the
same service in other nations, and with the like
service in our own army.
"Resolved, That, our Representative in Congress
be requested to aid in giving the medical staff a
more dignified position by urging such amendments
to the law as may be necessary for that purpose."
At this meeting of Jan. ir, 1871, the subject
of diphtheria, which for some time, and at a
period of nine years previously, had been epidemic
in his neighborhood, was introduced by Dr. Green,
and Drs. Beadle, Mead, Doughty, Andrus, Under-
bill, Webb and Young took part in the discussion
which ensued on this disease, which Dr. Green
defined as blood poisoning. At this meeting, also,
a proposition was made to offer two premiums,
one of $30 and one of $20, for essays on subjects
related to medicine, to be awarded respectively to
the first and second in order of merit. The project
of more frequent meetings was also discussed.
June 14, 187 1, the Society met in the Baptist
church at Bangall. By invitation the Rev. Mr.
Moore offered prayer. This is the first recorded
instance of such exercise in the meetings of the
Society.
August 14, 1872, the following was adopted by
a vote of nine to four : —
io8
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
"Resolved, That after the ist of January, 1873,
the members of this Society will meet in consulta-
tion, only members of a Society affiliated with the
Medical Society of the State of New York."
Drs. Pine, Payne, Cooper, Harvey, Parker,
Devan, Van Duser, Webb and Hubbard voted for,
and Drs. Campbell, Stillman, Barnes knd Cunning-
ham against it. The action was rescinded Jan.
8, 1873.
Nov. 12, 1872, it is recorded: —
" A quorum faiUng to assemble at the time and
place appointed, no meeting was held.
" This failure should doubtless be ascribed to
the universal prevalence of influenza among the
horses, by reason of which travel in the country is
about suspended; and by no means to a distaste
among members for the further discussion of
questions of ethics.
A. Hasbrouck, Secretary."
June II, 1873, it was resolved that the meeting
held the second Wednesday in January of each
year at Poughkeepsie should be annual, and that
held the second Wednesday in June semi-annual.
In 1874, the Legislature, in a measure, put up
the barriers taken down in 1844, so far as to dis-
criminate against quackery, but not against regular
schools of medicine. This law was discussed in a
meeting of the Society of great interest Jan. 13,
1875. It requires practitioners to have a license
from a medical society, or to be graduates from a
medical college. May 29, 1880, an act was passed
by the Legislature requiring medical practitioners
to register in the County Clerk's office, their name,
residence, place of birth, and authority for practic-
ing. Both these laws make illegal practice punish-
able by fine or imprisonment or both.
The records of the Society during the last decade
of its existence evince a marked increased interest
and larger attendance at its meetings. Papers of
great interest and wide scope have been read, and
these with numerous reported cases have elicited
a general and enlightened discussion. The m;eet-
ings, though most frequently held at Poughkeepsie,
have been rotated to various parts of the county!
The following named gentlemen * have served
the society as presidents : —
Samuel Bard 1806-1812
Benjamm De Lavergne i g j ,
John Thomas ! .' .' .'isM-iSis
James Downs ,0 J
urijudd :: ;^i;
Huntington SherriU :;8;8,' 1824
David Tomhnson tRt
Bartow White ^^^
J^hn^^^^per_____^^^^^^
John Dodge 1822
Shadrach Ricketson 1823
Henry D. Sleight 1825
Wheeler Gilbert 1826
David L. Dodge 1827
John Barnes 1828, 1834
Stoddard Judd 1829, 1835
Abijah G. Benedict 1830-32,* i84o-'42
Eliphalet Piatt 1833
William Thomas 1836-37
Richard A. Varick 1839, i86i-'66t
Nelson Andrews 1843
George W. Leach 1844
Calvert Canfield i845-'54-'58f
Lewis H. White 1867-1876
Beadle i877-'78
D. Guernsey iS79-'8o
Per Lee Pine 1 88 1
Officers elected January 12, 1881 : — ~
President — Per Lee Pine.
Vice-President — N. M. Van Duser.
Secretary — Guy C. Bayley.
Treasurer — C. H. Langdon.
Delegates to American Medical Association — A
B. Harvey, R. K. Tuthill, D. Guernsey.
Following is a list of the names of members who
have joined the society since its organization, as
far as they can be ascertained from the records.
The right hand column of dates represents the
time they were admitted to membership, or when
their names first appear on the records as
members; the left hand column, the time those
who were licensed by the society received their
license : —
Adams Frank W., Fishkill-on-
Hudson, June II, 1873.
Allen Stephen, Stanford, May 9,
1809.
Andrews Nelson, Hyde Park, May 12, 1835
Andrus C. H., Po'keepsie City, Nov. 14, 1854.
Annon Daniel D., Nov. 13, 1821.
Anthony Theodore V.W.,Fishkill, Nov. 8, 182?.
Baker R N., Rhinebeck, Jan. 9 ,878.
Bancroft Rolandus, Newtown, Ct.,
Jan. 22, 1808.
Banks James L., New York City,
(honorary,) ju„e 13, 1877.
Bard Samuel, Hyde Park, Nov. — 1806
Barker Samuel A,, Nov. 21, 1816. '-
Barnes Edwin, Pine Plains, ' May 14, 1867.
Barnes Enos, Clinton, 1814, May 9, 1815.
Barnes John, Po'keepsie City, Nov. 8, 1814.""
Barnes Peter, « " Nqv. 10, 1835.
Barns John H., « « Dec. 7, 1843.
Barras George, Fishkill, 1808.
Bartlett Richard, Stanford, Sept. 20, x8o6.
Bartlett R. N., Ver; early.
^^rton T. F., June 12, 18/8.
* No election was held in iSjl, owing to the small number in attendance,
t No election is recorded between 1861 and 1866.
* No election is recorded between 1845 and 1854, and 1854 and 1859.
MEMBERS OF THE MEDICAL SOCIETY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
109
Bartow Leonard, Fishkill,
Bates John, Red Hook,
Bayley Guy C, Po'keepsie City,
Beadle Edward L., Pleasant Val-
ley,
Beadle Edward L., Po'keepsie
City,
Beers Isaac,
Beers Vileroy, Hyde Park,
Bell Wm. P., Fishkill,
Benedict Abijah G., Red Hook,
May 9, 1815,
Bennett M., 1834.
Beiry Abraham, Clinton, May
II, 1819.
Berry Charles H., Dover Plains,
Berry Cyrus, Clinton,
Bierce Columbus, Amenia, May
14, 1816.
Bird J. SterUng, Hyde Park,
Bloss Samuel, Po'keepsie City,
April — , 1824,
Bockee Jacob, Po'keepsie City,
Bolton Edward C, Poughkeepsie
City,
Bolsford Charles,
Brown Paul R., Salt Point,
Buckman Amasa, Stanford,
Burnett Joshua I., May 9, 1809.
Burras George, Jan. 22, 1808.
Campbell Cornelius N., Pough-
keepsie City,
Canfield Calvert, Pleasant Val-
ley,
Carey Ebenezer, Beeknian,
Carey Egbert, Beekman, May B,
i8io,
Carhart Edward W., Stanfordville,
Carrington Henry A., Hyde Park,
Carroll R. J., Red Hook, .
Carter N. M., Po'keepsie City,
Case John, Palmer, 181 7.
Chamberlain John, Po'keepsie,
Chapman Geo. B., Amenia Union,
Cheesraan John C, M. D., New
York, (honorary,)
Chichester Isaac,
Child Caleb, Poughkeepsie,
Childs — . ; Po'keepsie City,
Church John, May 11, 1819,
Cleveland J. M., Hudson River
Hospital,
Cole Charles E., Jackson Corners,
Conklin Ebenezer H., Nov, 14,
1815.
Conklin Wm. J., Fishkill,
Cook George W., CHnton,
Cooke James S., May 9, 1809,
Cookingham H. L., Staatsburgh,
Cooper. John, Fishkill, 1808.
Cooper John, Poughkeepsie, Jan.
22, 1808,
Cooper John R., Po'keepsie City,
Cornell Isaac M., New Hamburgh,
May 8, 182 1.
Nov. 9, 1841.
Jan. 8, 1873.
Nov. 10, 1829.
May 14, 1867.
Nov. — , 1823.
May 12, 1818.
Nov. 14, 1854.
May 14, 1816.
Jan. 12, 1869.
Sept. 20, i8o6.
Nov. 13, 1866.
Nov. — , 1824.
Nov. 10, 1840.
Jan. 14, 1868.
May 10, 1842.
Jan. 14, 1868.
Sept. 20, 1806.
Nov. 14, 1854.
Nov. II, 1817.
Sept. 20, 1806.
Nov. 12, 181 1.
June 12, 1878.
Aug. 9, 1859.
Jan. 9, 1878.
Nov. 13, 1866.
Sept. 20, 1806.
June 14, 1876.
May 13, 1834.
Nov. II, 1817.
Sept. 20, 1806.
May 8, 1838.
Nov. 8, 1825.
Jan. 8, 1873.
June 12, 1872.
June 8, 1870.
Sept. 20, 1806.
Nov. 12, 181 1.
About 1872.
May 10, 1808.
1858.
Jan. 9, 1878.
Cortelyou Lawrence V., Pough-
keepsie City, June II, 1873.
Couch John W., May 12, 1818, May 8, 1821.
Coutant G. E., Poughkeepsie, Jan. 14, 1880.
Covel James, "
May II, 1819.
Cox John Palmer, May 12, 181 7, May 9, 1820.
Crosby Cyrenus, Amenia, Apr. 28, 1812.
Crusie Thomas K., Wappingers
I^alls, Jan. 12, 1875.
Curtis Charles P., Fishkill, June 11, 1873.
Davis Jacob J. H., Mar. g, 1819, May 9, 1820.
Day Fisher, Nov. 10, 181 3,
Dayton Daniel, Poughkeepsie, Sept. 20, 1806.
Delamater Abraham, May 11, 1807.
Delamater David D., May 13,
1817,
Delavan David, Pawling, Sept. 20, 1806.
DeLavergne Benjamin, Washing-
ton, Sept. 20, 1806.
Deming , Sharon, Ct., (hon-
orary,) June 12,1872.
Devan J. N., Pleasant Valley, Nov. 13, 1866.
Devine Joel, Poughkeepsie City,
1840, May II, 1841.
Dexter Harmon H., May 10, 1836,
Deyo E., Poughkeepsie, Nov. 13, 1866.
Dodge David L., Beekman, May 12, 1818.
Dodge Jeremiah, " Nov. — , 1806.
Dodge John, Jr., Poughkeepsie, Nov. 8, 1808.
Dodge John, Jr., Poughkeepsie
City, Feb. 15, 1843,
Dodge S., Poughkeepsie City, Nov. 14, 1854.
Doughty John H., Matteawan, Jan. 12, 1869.
Downs James, CUnton, Sept. 20, 1806.
Dunning Philo, May i2, 1818, Nov. 9, 1819.
Eastman John R., Nov. 8, 1836.
Ebstein L., Poughkeepsie, Nov. 13, 1866.
Eddy Caspar W., Rhinebeck, Nov. 10, 1818.
Eggleston John, May 11, 18 19,
Ely William, Clinton, Sept. 20, 1806.
Everitt Elmore, • Nov. 13, 182 1.
Ensign Lee, Dover, May 11, 1841.
Esselstine Richard, Red Hook, May 9, 1820.
Eustice Samuel, Nov. 10, 1813.
Everitt Thos. T., Po'keepsie City, Nov. 13, 1832.
Everts John, Nov. 9, 1830.
Fink W. F., Sprout Creek, Jan. 12, 1870.
Fletcher Frederick, May 12, 1835.
Foot Jeremiah, Feb. 26, 1818,
Forman James H., Hopewell Junc-
tion, Jan. 9, 1878.
Fountain Hosea, Westchester Co.
(honorary,) ^ Jan. 8, 1873.
Fountain Theodore, Fishkill, Nov. 11, 1834.
Fowler David, Orange County,
(honorary,) Nov. 11, 1834.
Fowler Peter D., Nov. 10, 1818.
Fowler Theodore, Early.
Frisby, Joseph, Nov. 10, 18 13.
Gerow Elizabeth H., Po'keepsie, June 9, 1875.
Gilbert Asher, March 19, 1822.
Gilbert Wheeler, Red Hook, Nov. 12, 181 1.
Gill Robert T., Milton, Nov. 14, 1854.
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
Grant Edmund F., Po'keepsie
City,
Gray , Hyde Park,
Green L., Amenia Union,
Green Lewis, LaGrangeville,
Gren Stephen S., LaGrangeville,
Greenwood Matthias P., Po'keep-
sie City,
Guernsey Desault, Amenia,
Guernsey Peter B., do
Gurnsey Ezekiel H., Stanford,
Haight Charles, Po'keepsie City,
Hall Asahel, do do
Hall Larry G., 1813.
Hallock Israel,
Halsey Abraham, Fishkill,
Hammond Thomas, Dover,
May 9, 1815,
Hammond Thomas, Dover Plains,
Harvey A. B., Po'keepsie City,
Harvey Clarence A., Po'keepsie,
Hasbrouck Stephen, Poughkeepsie
City,
Hasbrouck Alfred, Poughkeepsie
City,
Hayt Edwin,
Helms Wm. H., Westchester Co.,
(honorary,)
Herrick W., Milan,
Herrick Walter, Milan,
Hewson Benjamin, Wappingers
Falls,
Hicks Robert L.,
Hillis James G., Po'keepsie City,
Hillman John, 181 5,
Hoag Arthur F., Amenia,
Hoff Alexander H., Po'keepsie
. City,
Hoflfcut Obed, Dover, Feb. 15,
1843.
Holbrook M. R., Po'keepsie City,
Holden Edwin, " "
Dec. — , 1832,
Hommedieu Elias L.,
Hooker Wm.,
Hopkins H. Wm., La Grange,
Hosack David, Hyde Park, (hon-
orary,)
Rowland David, 1813.
Hughson Benjamin, 1819.
Hughson Walter, Po'keepsie City,
Hull Wm. B.,
Hunting J. M., Stanford,
Huntington George, La Grange-
ville,
Hurd Curtis J.,
Hurd George F.,
Hurd Darwin E.,
Hurd Milo, Nov. 14, 1815,
Hustis C, Matteawan,
Ingersoll Stephen M.,
Ives Ansel W., N. Y. City, (hon-
orary,)
Jarvis Milton B., Nov. 23, 1841.
June I, 1838.
Nov. 15, 1859.
May 14, 1867.
Nov. 13, 1866.
1868.
Nov. 13, 1866.
Nov. 13, 1866.
Very early.
Sept. 20, 1806.
Nov. 13, 1827.
Nov. 10, 1829.
Very early.
Sept. 20, 1806.
Nov. 13, 1821.
Nov. 13, 1866.
Nov. i4j [854.
Jan. 12, 1881.
May 9, 1820.
Nov. 14, 1854.
June 9, 1875-
Jan. 8, 1873.
May 14, 1867.
June II, 1879.
May 14, 1822.
Nov. II, 1817.
Nov. 14, 1854.
Nov. 9, 1819.
June II, 1879.
Nov. II, 1845.
Nov. 13, 1866.
Nov. 12, 1833.
Nov. 12, 1816.
May 14, 1822.
Nov. 12, 1839.
Nov. 12, 1833.
Nov. 14, 1837.
June 12, 1878.
May 14, 1867.
June 10, 1874.
May — , 1823.
Nov. 12, 1833.
Nov. 10, 1835.
May 14, 1816.
Jan. 13, 1875.
Nov. 9, 1819.
Nov. 10, 1835.
Jenkins James S., May 14, 1835.
Johnston, Francis U., N. Y. City,
(honorary,)
Jourdan Abra., Clermont, 1808.
Judd Stoddard, March 17, 181 9,
Judd Uri, North East,
Kellogg A. O., Hudson River
Hospital,
King Bennett, Hyde Park, May
iS> 1834.
King John B.,
Kinkhead John, Po'keepsie City
Kittridge C. M., Fishkill-on-Hud-
son,
Knapp A. H., Poughkeepsie,
Knapp David A., Union Vale,
Knickerbocker Edward, Red
Hook,
Laffen Thomas, Beekman,
Lamb Joseph T. C, Poughkeepsie,
La Monte Austin, Hydg Park,
La Monte Austin, Carmel, (hon-
orary,)
Landon Walter, Mar. 9, 1819;
Langdon Charles H., Hudson
River Hospital,
Lathrop Wm., Washington,
Leach George W., Po'keepsie
City,
Lente Frederic D., Cold Spring,
(honorary.)
Livingston Charles P., Pough-
keepsie, July 16, 1816.
Loomis Robert,
Losee Elmore, Bangall,
Losee John, Red Hook,
Manney James, Fishkill,
Marill J., Poughkeepsie City,
Marriott Jonathan,
Marvin Jonathan H.,
Mason Edgar, 1826.
McClellan Chas. H. P., Po'keep-
sie City,
Mead Isaac N., Amenia,
Moith J. E., Fishkill-on-Hudson,
Mosher Ehza M., Poughkeepsie,
Mott Valentine, M. D., New
York City, (honorary,)
Nelson Thos. J., Rhinebeck, May
12, 1818.
Nelson Theophilus, Apr. 2, 1823,
Newcomb Andrew H., Pleasant
Valley, . May 17, 1822.
Newcomb John E., Pleasant
Valley,
Nicholson Clark N., Beekman,
Northrop M. C, So. Dover,
Noxon Robert,
O'Byrne Wm. J., Po'keepsie City,
Orton Henry T., Washington,
Osborn Jedediah B., May 17, 1822.
Paine Ichabod B., Amenia,
Parker Edward H., Poughkeepsie
City,
Nov. ir, 1834.
Nov. 9, 1819.
Sept. 20, 1806.
Jan. 8, 1874.
May 12, 1835.
June II, 1879.
Jan. 13, 1875.
June, 8, 1869.
Nov. 13, 1866.
Nov. 13, 1827.
Sept. 20, 1 806.
Jan, 14, 1880.
Nov. 13, 1866.
June 12, 1872.
Jan. 12, 1875.
Sept. 20, 1806.
Nov. 12, 1833.
Jan. 12, 1869.
May 10, 183 1.
Nov. 16, 1854.
June 12, 1878.
Nov. 14, 1809.
Jan. 13, 1875.
May 9, 1820.
May 14, 181:.
Nov. 8, 1836.
June 9, 1868.
June II, 1879.
,June 9, 1875.
May 13, 1834.
May — , 1823.
Nov. 9, 1830.
Nov. 15, 1859.
May 14, 1867.
Sept. 20, 1806;
Jan. 8, 1873.
Nov. 13, 1827.
«
May 12, 1818.
Aug. 9, 1859.
MEMBERS OF THE MEDICAL SOCIETY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
Ill
Payne John C, Po'keepsie City,
Pearce Henry, Pawling,
Peck Edgar F., Pine Plains,
Peck Wm. R.,
Pells James F.,
Per Lee John F.,
Perlee John S., Amenia,
1820.
1818.
May 12,
i8i8,
1824.
1824,
Perry John, Araenia,
Perry John, Jr., April
Piles Jas. F., (expelled Sept. 20.
1820.)
Pinckney John, Fishkill,
Pine Per Lee, Poughkeepsie City,
Pingry James O., Mabbettsville,
Piatt Eliphalet, Rhinebeck, Feb.
26, 1818,
Plumb Ovid, Washington,
Prentiss Curtis,
Price Eliphalet Rev., (honorary,)
Proal Wm. H., Wappingers Falls,
Pultz M. T., Stanfordville,
Quinlan Thomas, CUnton,
Radclifif Peter A., Rhinebeck,
Rapalje Stephen, Fishkill, 1809,
Raymond Josiah,
Read Roswell P., Po'keepsie City.
Nov. — , 1824.
Reade Ebenezer, April 3, 181 7.
Remsen L., Fishkill,
Reynolds Edw'd H., May 12,1818.
Rickertson Shadrach, Beekman,
Ring Jourdan Lewis, Hyde Park,
Jan. 22, 1808,
Ring Lewis, Rhinebeck, 1808.
Robertson Samuel,
Rockwell Lyman E., Amenia,
Rodgers David, New York City,
(honorary,)
Rodgers David L., New York City,
(honorary,)
Rogers Joseph, Fishkill,
Ruggles, Wm. B., May 9, 181 5.
Schenck John P., Jr., Matteawan,
Schenck Peter D., Fishkill,
Schofield Peter, Pawling, May 9,
1809,
Scovel James, Pawling,
Sherrill Hunting, Clinton,
Slack Henry, Fishkill-on-Hudson,
Slater James, Poughkeepsie City,
Sleight Henry D., Fishkill, May
10, 1808,
Sleight Robert A., Nov. 8, 1808.
Smith Alexander H., Hyde Park,
Smithjohn, Homer, Nov. 19,1839,
Smith John W., Amenia,
Smith Strobridge, Wappingers Falls,
Sowle Jonathan,
Stanton Luke W., Amenia,
Starr D. L., Poughkeepsie City,
Stevenson W. G., Poughkeepsie
City,
Stewart, Chas. N. F., Feb. 26, 1818.
Nov. 14, 1854.
Jan. 12, 1869.
Nov. 9, 1850.
Nov. 12, 1833.
May II, 1819.
May II, 1824.
Sept. 20, 1806.
May II, 1841.
Jan. II, 1871.
May 12,
Nov. 12,
Nov. 10,
Jan. — ,
Nov. 14,
June 14,
Sept. 20,
Nov. 9,
May 9,
Nov. 10,
1818.
1822.
1829.
1823.
1854-
187 1.
1806.
1803.
1809.
1813.
Nov. 13, 1827.
May 9, 1815.
May 8, i8io.
Nov. 10, 1835.
Jan. II, 1873.
Nov. 10, 1835.
Nov. 4, 1834.
Sept. 20, 1806.
Nov. 13, 1866.
Nov. 10, 1818.
May 8, 1810.
Sept. 20, 1806.
Nov. 14, 1809.
Jan. 8., 1873.
Oct. — , 1823
May 10, 1808.
May 12, 1835.
May II, 1841.
Sept. 20, 1806.
June 10, 1874.
Nov. 10, 1813.
May 14, 1867.
Nov. 12, 1833.
About 1873.
Stillman D. E., Pine Plains,
Stillman S., Millerton,
Stillman Sidney, "
Stringham Henry S., Po'keepsie
City, Dec. 20, 1833.
Sutherland D. R, Poughkeepsie
City,
Sutton G. L., East FishkiU,
Tabor J. Russel, Poughkeepsie
City,
Tallman Edward White, Pough-
keepsie City, Feb. 9, 1844.
Tappen Enoch Sawyer, Pough-
keepsie,
Tapping Elisha C, Poughkeepsie
City, 1813,
Thatcher Charles,
Thomas John, Fishkill,
Thomas Wm., Poughkeepsie, May
10, 1808,
Thompson Charles H., Fishkill,
Thorn James, "
Thorn John S., Washington,
Tibbies , Millerton,
Todd Ostrander D.,
Tomlinson David, Rhinebeck,
Traver Isaac H., Pleasant Valley,
Tredway Alfred, Washington,
Trivett Elias, Poughkeepsie, 1814.
Tuthill Robert K., Po'keepsie
City,
Underbill Anthony, New Hack-
ensack,
Upton George, La Grange,
Upton George, "
Upton George, Lagrangeville,
Vail Ira I., April 3, 1817,
Van Deusen, N. M., Fishkill,
Vanderburg Federal, Beekman,
Vanderhofif, Thomas P., Rhine-
beck, Oct. 31, 1826.
Van Duser A. E., Po'keepsie City,
Van Kleeck Baltus L., Pough-
keepsie,
Van Kleeck J. Livingston,
Poughkeepsie,
Vanvliet Isaac F., Rhinebeck,
Van Wyck E., New Hamburgh,
Varick Richard A., Po'keepsie
City,
Vermilyea John K., Beekman,
Waldo Charles, Poughkeepsie,
Ward David B., Po'keepsie City,
Ward Jonathan, Poughkeepsie,
Watt James,
Webb DeWitt, Poughkeepsie,
Webster Helen W., Vassar College,
Weed J., Amenia,
Wellraan George M., Dover
Plains,
Wheeler Gamaliel, Rhinebeck,
1808,
Wheeler N. W., Patterson, (hon-
orary,)
May 14, 1867.
May 14, 1867.
June 9, 1868.
June 10, 1874.
Nov. 13, 1866.
June 10, 1874.
May 14, 181 1.
Nov. 13, 1827.
May 12, 1835.
Sept. 20, 1806.
Nov.
June
Sept.
Nov.
May
Nov.
Sept.
June
Nov.
8, 1808.
9, 1868.
20, 1806.
14, 1854.
14, 1867.
II, 1834.
20, 1806.
I, 1837.
— , 1806.
Nov. 13, 1866.
Jan. 12,
May 13,
Nov. II,
Nov. 13,
May 12,
Nov, IS,
May 8,
1869
1834,
1845
1866
1818
1859
1810,
Nov. 13, 1 866.
Sept. 20, 1806.
Sept. 23, 1806.
Nov. 13, 1866.
June 9, 1875.
Nov. 13, 1827.
Nov. 9, 1830.
Sept. 20, 1806.
June II, 1879.
Nov. II, 1807.
May 14, 1867.
Nov. 13, 1866.
June 9, 1875.
May 14, 1867.
June 14, 1871.
Nov. 13, 1827.
June 12, 1872.
112
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
Wheeler Wm. W., Rhinebeck,
White Bartow, Fishkill,
White Howell, Fishkill,
White Lewis H., Fishkill,
White Oliver, New York City,
(honorary,) June ii, 1873.
Wilber Aaron, Amenia,
Wilber S., Amenia, Feb. 26, 18 18.
Wilbur Benjamin S., Amenia,
Wilbur H. C, Pine Plains,
Sept. 20, 1806.
Sept. 20, 1806.
Jan. 14, 1880.
Nov. 10, 1829.
May 14, 1822.
May 14, 1822.
May 14, 1867.
Williams A. A. C, Poughkeepsie, Nov. 13, 1866.
Williams, Wm. S., Feb. 26, 1818, Nov. 10, 1818.
Williamson Phebe Thome, Wash-
ington, June 12, 1878.
Wilson John P., Pleasant Valley, June 12, 1872.
Wilson Stephen, Nov. 8, 1808,
Witherwaxjohn M., July 13, 1835
Wooley Milton, Clinton, Dec. 7, 1843.
Wortman Dennis, May 13, 1817, May 12, 1818.
Wright Amaziah, Poughkeepsie,
1809, Nov. 14, 1809.
Wright J. Williston, Poughkeepsie, Nov. 13, 1866.
Wyman R., Nov. 12, 1833.
Young John, Fishkill Landing, Jan. 11, 187 1.
The Homeopathic Medical Society of Duch-
ess County. — The therapeutics of the homeop-
athic school of medicine is founded on the theory
of similia similibus curantur. The principle was
discovered by Samuel Hahnemann, who was born
in Meissen, in the province of Saxony, April lo,
1755- He was an accompKshed and skillful prac-
titioner of the old school of medicine, and having
proved certain remedies upon himself and others,
he abandoned a lucrative practice under govern-
ment patronage, at Gommern, near Magdeburg, on
account of conscientious scruples against adminis-
tering drugs according to the vague formulas then
in use, and in 1796, first enunciated the principles
of homeopathy, the practice of which he com-
menced in his native place. He was soon driven
from thence by the bitter opposition he encoun-
tered, to Paris, where he met with success and
secured converts, among whom was Dr. Hans B.
Gram of Copenhagen, an American by birth, who
having won the highest grade of merit in the Royal
Academy of Surgery in that city, came to New
York in 1825, and introduced the new practice
into America, continuing it in that city till his
death in 1840, three years previous to that of his
preceptor, Hahnemann, who died in Paris in 1843.
The new system spread rapidly, notwithstanding
the prejudice and bitter opposition against it, and
was first introduced into Duchess county, in the
town of CKnton, in 1835 or '36. The first known
case of treatment by "similars," says Dr. J. F.
Merritt, late of Pleasant Plains, in his History of
Homeopathy in Duchess County, in 1865, "was one
of chronic rheumatism of twenty years' standing —
twenty years of almost unrelieved suffering and
anguish. The fame of an early pioneer of home-
opathy in Albany reached her, and she sent for
him, hoping that the thorny pillow of pain and
death might yet be softened. The doctor came,
and with his Liliputian remedies came a relief
she had long before ceased to expect in this life.
The fame of a partial cure of a case so aggravated
soon spread in the vicinity. * * * It was not long
before the tidal wave that bore to our shores the
skill and erudition of Gram sent its pulsations up
along the banks of the Hudson, bringing us frag-
mentary evidences of that terra incognita in
medicine, which was soon to loom up to our view.
Thus residents of our county while living in New
York during the winter, became patrons of the
system, and when they returned to their country
residences in the summer, brought with them glow-
ing accounts of the beneficent works it had already
entered upon, and even sent for their city physi-
cians in many instances of sickness in their
families. * * * The easy administration of the
remedies and their prompt and efficient action
soon won adherents. Thus, little by Httle, was
homeopathy introduced to the attention, but not
yet commended to the confidence of a large pro-
portion of the inhabitants of Duchess county. * * *
" Followers of the new faith soon elevated our
standard at various points along the Hudson.
Early, if not the earliest, among those who were
instrumental in introducing homeopathy into this
county, was he who was the fearless defender of our
cause when most it needed such a defense as he
alone could give, and as his reward, he is now, in
his declining years, crowned with well-earned
honor— Dr. Federal Vanderburg, though past the
zenith of his life physically, yet in Ufe intellectually
he is still fresh and athletic— our own president
and^ father in medicine. * * * A resident practi-
tioner in New York City, he became an early
convert to the teachings of Gram, * * * [and]
was soon standing in the arena side by side with
Gram, Gray, Hering, Hull, Wesselhceft and others
like memorable. * * *
" One of the first recruits enlisted by him was Dr.
Hall, then of Fishkill, but for the past twenty years
or more a resident practitioner of Poughkeepsie.
This was in 1 83 7 or 1 83 8. Not far from this period
homeopathy was introduced into Poughkeepsie by
Dr. Formel, a German of considerable repute.
He remained only a short time and was succeeded
by Dr. Hall, first mentioned.
HOMEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
"3
" Another of those who were induced by Dr.
Vanderburg to embrace the doctrines of Hahne-
mann, at an early period in our history, was the
Rev. James Lillie, at that time the pastor of the
Reformed Dutch Church of Rhinebeck. While
Dr. Vanderburg was negotiating for the purchase
of 'Linwood,' his [subsequent] residence on the
river, Rev. Mr. Lillie was accidentally thrown in
his way. A casual acquaintance ripened into
friendship until Mr. Lillie was induced to put him-
self under the doctor's treatment for taenia solium.
The result was so successful that Mr. Lillie was
favorably impressed with the new system. But he
was not the man to receive it as a demonstration
until he should have made a more thorough test.
Having spent four years in the University of Edin-
burgh, one of which was partially devoted to the
study of medicine, during which he had acquired a
taste for the profession, he was prompted to un-
dertake the task of investigating the system of
homeopathy. * * * in 1840, we find the pastor
and physician contributing to both the bodily and
spiritual comfort of his parishioners. * * * But it
was with reluctance that he consented in any case
to undertake the treatment of the sick. * * * in
1841 or '42, Mr. Lillie removed to New York City,
where, in due course of time, he graduated at the
College of Physicians and Surgeons, and, with the
assistance of his friend and preceptor^ Dr. Vander-
burg, commenced a practice at once remunerative
and successful. Thence he removed to Toronto,
some ten years since, and has since returned to
Scotland, the land of his birth. * * *
"In 1842, Dr. Vanderburg removed to Rhine-
beck, and first became a resident practitioner of
our county. * * *
"The next accession * * * was that of Dr.
Charles Haight, then of Hartsville. In the midst
of a large and lucrative practice overtasking his
physical strength, he was induced after repeated
tests to abandon the old in favor of the new system.
This was at a time when such a change was tanta-
mount to casting aside the means of comfortable
subsistence ; at least such was the prospect which
at that time and in that section opened before the
pioneer but * * * by steady, persevering effort, he
* * * re-established his originally extensive prac-
tice, which eventually became more incessant and
laborious than before. He subsequently removed
to Poughkeepsie, where he still continues to
practice.
"In 1843, we note the advent to our county,
and almost simultaneously to homeopathy, of Dr.
Martin Freligh, of Saugerties. * * * i^
1836 or '37, a friend of the doctor's in Catskill,
having been cured by a few simple powders pre-
scribed by Dr. Vanderburg, then of New York
City, he was induced to visit the city for the pur-
pose of having a personal interview with Dr. Van-
derburg on the subject of homeopathy. Finding
the Doctor professionally engaged, he was directed
to call on Dr. Channing, then in Broadway, by whom
he was ' politely received andad vised to purchase the
Orgatwn, Ruoffs Repertory, Everefs, JDunsford's,
and /ahr's Manuals, and Henderson &= Forbes.'
But it was not until his removal to Rhinebeck,
at the period above named, and his subsequent ac-
quaintance with Dr. Vanderburg, that he was led
fully to adopt the new system of medicine. * * *
In 1850, Dr. Freligh removed to Ne^y York City,
where, in an enlarged sphere, he continued to prac-
tice until within two or three years, when he retired.
George Lorillard, John Augustine Kiersted and
Tabias S. Ring all studied medicine in his office.
Lorillard took his degree from the Albany Medical
College in 1847. Kiersted and Ring received
theirs from the University Medical College of New
York in 1848, ' all three confirmed homeopaths.'
In tracing the history of these young men allow me
to do it in the language of their preceptor.
He says, ' Dr. Lorillard's practice has been and is
at present purely philanthropic, complimentary to
himself — a charity to the poor, as I believe he has
never received a fee for his professional services.
Dr. Kiersted was a young man of brilliant intellect,
and had his life been spared, would have adorned
the profession of his choice, but he was compelled
to relinquish its practice in about two years after
his graduation, and died at the age of twenty-six
of consumption. Dr. Ring is in full practice at
Yorkville, and continues an unwavering homeo-
path.'*
" In 1849, Dr. Freligh, removing to New York,
was succeeded at Rhinebeck by Dr. Rodman
Bartlett of Pine Plains, who at once commenced
the investigation of homeopathy and in due time
became a competent prescriber of homeopathic
remedies.!
" At a period perhaps a little anterior to this, in
1844 or '45, Dr. Calvin P. Guernsey, long a prac-
titioner of the old system in Chnton, being sur-
rounded in his practice by a great array of cures
effected by homeopathic treatment, was led to the
study and test of the new system. He soon gave
* He left the county before 1854.
t Removed to New York in 1855.
114
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
iQ his adhesion to the doctrines of similia, in which
he continued a consistent believer up to the period
of his death from phthisis-pulmonalis in 1856.
Associated with him for a short time preceding his
death was Dr. O. D. Cass, who, in like manner,
adopted the system of his senior partner. Dr. Cass
remained only a short tibe, as Dr. Guernsey's
business having been divided among former pupils
practicing in the vicinity, there was insufficient
ground remaining unoccupied to warrant him m
continuing.
" Dr. Ephraim Case* of Clinton Corners, in the
township of Clinton, next joined himself to our
cause. * * * He was one of the earhest pupils
of Dr. Guernsey. * * * In 1852 or '.53 Dr.
Bartlett removed to New York, and was succeeded
in Rhinebeck by Dr. G. C. Lansing, a young prac-
titioner of the old system in Milan. * * *
Dr. Lansing, * * * for twelve years, has main-
tained untarnished the standard raised by the in-
domitable LilHe. * * *
"In the fall of 1854, homeopathy in Poughkeep-
sie received afresh impetus by the accession to the
profession in that place of Dr. John Hornby, of
Brooklyn. Like many others, becoming dissatis-
fied with the uncertainty of remedies administered
upon the principal of contraria, he was so far pre-
pared for the investigation of a system of medicine
that promised to give certainty for uncertainty and
to guide the way to uniform success.
" Dr. Hornby was for seventeen years Assistant
Surgeon in the British service in Bengal, and
brought us the fruits of his observation on the
diseases incident to the camp and climes of that
tropical region. Dr. Hornby has become favor-
ably known by his valuable contributions on various
medical topics, f
"Dr. Ernst F. Hoffman * * * marked his
advent to the doctorate in 1852, by his almost sim-
ultaneous adoption of homeopathy. Having pre-
pared himself by an attendance upon the Homeo-
pathic Dispensary in Bond street, under the in-
struction of Drs. Otto FulgrofiF and Ixonard Marcy,
he came to Poughkeepsie, and entered into co-
partnership with Dr. Hall for the general practice
of medicine and surgery.''
Dr. J. F. Merritt " graduated from the College of
Physicians and Surgeons in 1852, practiced allop-
athy three years, and in 1855 investigated home-
opathy, at the instance of4wo gentlemen, old school
practitioners, between whom and [himself] a
» He practiced at Clinton Comers, till his death in 1876,
t He continues his practice here to the present time.
business co-partnership existed at the time. The
result was the adoption of the practice of home-
opathy. This was continued until the dissolution
of the co-partnership, by mutual consent, in the
fall of 1855, on account of the ill health of" Dr.
Merritt.
" In 1857, Dr. Kornbach, formerly a Surgeon in
the Prussian army, opened an office in Pough-
keepsie. His slight acquaintance with the language
and customs of this country rendered his inter-
course with Americans a source of but little satis-
faction to himself. He left for London in t86o.
Dr. S. G. Cooke, a graduate of the University
Medical College of New York, first engaged in the
practice of medicine in Verbank in this county,
whence he removed to Stanfordville about four or
five years ago, at which time he embraced homeop-
athy. He was one of the first to take an active
part in the formation of the Duchess County
Homeopathic Medical Society. * * * in
1862, he took the position of Assistant Surgeon in
the isoth New York Infantry." He never re-
turned to Duchess county. Dr. Laurie succeeded
Dr. Cooke at Stanfordville. He adopted homeop-
athy in 1855 or '56, in Rhinebeck, where, for a
short time, he took the business of Dr. G. C. Lan-
sing. He removed to Pleasant Valley about 1858
or '59, and thence to Stanfordville in 1862. He
removed to New York, about 1867. "Recently
Dr. B. Lansing has reared the standard of home-
opathy in Hyde Park, one of the few towns in
this county in which our system had not yet been
introduced. Dr. Walter R. Case, [son of Dr.
Ephraim Case, of Clinton Comers,] a graduate of
the New York Homeopathic Medical College at
the late commencement, has just entered upon the
work in Clinton, [where he is still practicing.]
Dr. Burroughs, of Brooklyn, has recently taken up
his residence at Poughkeepsie as a practitioner of
our system." He left very shortly after he came
here.
" I reserve for the last the notice of two pio-
neers of homeopathy. Dr. Davis, deceased, of Pine
Plains, and Dr. DeLaMontagnie, of Fishkill. The
first for many years toiled on single-handed and
alone and by unaided effort, without a single
neighboring practitioner of his faith to cheer him
by word of encouragement, to build upon the foun-
dation of similia the superstructure of a practice
that will stand both as a monument of his assiduity
and ability, and an honor to the name of Hahne-
mann. Dr. Davis died several years since. Dr.
DeLaMontagnie is also entitled to a rank among
HOMEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
"S
the pioneers. But insufficient data as to dates and
circumstances renders it impossible to accord to
either of these gentlemen that place in this sketch
to which their respective talents and acquirements
indisputably entitle them.
" By way of an addendum, I would subjoin the
additional names of Dr. Baxter, of Wappingers
Falls, and Dr. Scofield, who practiced home-
opathy for a short time in Poughkeepsie about ten
years ago, but whose career was cut short by
phthisis while he was comparatively young." Dr.
William Baxter died in practice at Wappingers
Falls about 1876 or '77, and is succeeded there
by his son.
Dr. Asa Hall continued his practice in Pough-
keepsie till his death in 1873. He was at his
death a very old man.
Federal Vanderburg, M. D., was born in the
town of Beekman, May 11, 1788. At the age of
seventeen he entered upon the study of medicine
with Dr. Wright, a physician of celebrity, at New
Milford, Conn., whence he removed to New York
City, to avail himself of the advantages of its
hospitals and colleges. In that city he entered the
office of Dr. Smith, a leading physician of that
day, and after completing his curriculum, graduated
before twenty-one years old. He married a lady
of New Milford, Conn., and in 1812-13 removed
to Geneva, N. Y., where he remained till 1830,
when, having restored his previously delicate
health, he returned to New York City and there be-
came acquainted with the celebrated Dr. Gram,
from whom he acquired a knowledge of the new
method of treatment discovered by Hahnemann.
In 1834, he was associated with the pioneers of
homeopathy in the establishment of the American
Journal of Homeopathy. In New York he estab-
lished a lucrative practice among the wealthy por-
tion of its inhabitants. In 1840, he removed to a
farm on the banks of the Hudson, where he re-
sided and practiced till his death. He introduced
and promulgated homeopathy in Duchess county,
and made many valuable contributions to its litera-
ture. He was enthusiastic in the practice of his
profession, and benevolent in disposition. He
died Jan. 23, 1868, in the 80th year of his age,
from a severe attack of pleuro-pneumonia, brought
on by exposure to inclement weather while visiting
a patient.
Dr. Lorillard is now living in Rhinebeck, but
not in active practice, except that he gives gratui-
tous advice. Gratuitous services have always
characterized his practice, his abundant wealth
making it unnecessary for him to pursue his pro-
fession for profit, or as a means of gaining a liveli-
hood. He belongs to the well-known Lorillard
family of New York.
Dr. Freligh was the first convert to homeopathy
in Ulster county. He is now in New York City.
Dr. G. C. Lansing retnoved to New York City
about 1869 or '70, and is still in practice there.
Dr. Ernst F. Hoffman removed to New York
about 1870, and is still in practice there.
Jesse F. Merritt, M. D., was born in Hyde Park,
Jan. 22, 1831, and acquired his education in the
schools of his native place. He commenced the
study of medicine in 1848, with Drs. Piatt and
Nelson, of Rhinebeck. At the recommendation
of Dr. Vanderburg he subsequently removed to
New York City, and graduated in the College of
Physicians and Surgeons in 1852. He married
and established himself in practice at Hyde Park,
but in 1854 removed to Rhinebeck, at the solicita-
tion of his preceptors, Drs. Piatt and Nelson,
with whom he entered into professional co-partner-
ship. In 1855, he was compelled to leave practice,
and travel in the Southern States for his health
which became impaired by an attack of hemorrhage
from the lungs. In 1856, he returned to Albany,
N. Y., and resided there with his family till the
following winter, when, his health being much im-
proved, he returned to this county and located at
Pleasant Plains, where he established an extensive
and lucrative practice, and remained till his death,
which occurred March 30, 1868, though failing
health had compelled him to abandon practice in
August, 1866. He was chiefly instrumental in the
organization of the Homeopathic Medical Society
of Duchess county.
Dr. Benjamin Lansing practiced in Rhinebeck
till his death in 1880.
In i860, the subject of the organization of a
County Medical Society was pressed upon the at-
tention of the homeopathic physicians of Duchess
county by the efficient Secretary of the State
Homeopathic Medical Society, Horace M. Paine,
M. D. His efforts were for a time unavailing, but
never intermitted. At length, receiving a second
and very urgent appeal from him. Dr. J. F. Merritt
caused to be published in the two weekly papers
in Poughkeepsie, a card to homeopathic physi-
cians, naming a time and place of meeting of those
favoring an immediate organization. Personal in-
terviews were had with several, and others were
reached by written communications. Accordingly
a meeting was held at the Gregory House in
ii6
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
Poughkeepsie, Nov. 27, 1861, at which the Home-
opathic Medical Society of Duchess County was
formed, and the following officers chosen : Fed-
eral Vanderburg, Rhinebeck, President ; Ephraim
Case, Clinton Corners, Vice-President ; Ernst F.
Hoffman, of Poughkeepsie, Secretary and Treas-
urer; John Hornby, Poughkeepsie, Stephen G.
Cook, Stanfordville, and Jesse F. Merritt, Pleas-
ant Plains, Censors. A constitution and by-laws
were then adopted. Article 5 of the constitution
makes " any regularly licensed physician who has
complied with the requisitions of the laws of the
State and who shall avow his belief in the home-
opathic maxim, similia similibus curantur, eligible
to membership on a majority vote of the members
present at a regular meeting." Article 6 provides
that a regular annual meeting of the Society shall
be held on the fourth Wednesday of November,
in the city of Poughkeepsie, and a semi-annual
meeting, on the fourth Wednesday of May of each
year, at the same place. Section 8 of the by-laws
makes it " the duty of every member to make a
written communication at every regular meeting
upon some matter pertaining to the general interests
of medical science." Section 1 1 says, " the initia-
tion fee shall be two dollars," and "at every
annual meeting a tax not exceeding in amount one
dollar may be assessed upon each member of the
Society, by a vote of two-thirds of the members
present."
Previousto 1857, homeopathic societies existed as '
informal associations only, having no legal status.
April 13, 1857, the Legislature authorized the forma-
tion of homeopathic county medical societies, with
equal privileges and immunities enjoyed by so-
called allopathic medical associations. April 17
1862, the Legislature passed an act to incorporate
the Homeopathic Medical Society of the State of
New York. Under that act a re-organization was
effected whereby county societies then existing be-
came auxiliary to the State society, and the
following year it was formally inaugurated.
At the second meeting of the society in Febru-
ary, 1862, Dr. Vanderburg read a paper on the
" Problem of Life," which was deposited in the
archives of the society for future discussion. Ac-
counts of interesting cases in practice were given
verbally by Drs. Cook, Merritt and Hornby. The
following standing committees were appointed : F.
Vanderburg, Theory and Practice of Medicine ; S.
G. Cook, Special Pathology and Therapeutics \ J
F^ Merritt, Prevailing Epidemics; J. Hornby
Homeopathic Treatment of Surgical Cases ; E f'
Hoffman, Diseases of Females and Children. At
this meeting it was resolved to meet quarterly.
At the third meeting, in May, 1862, Dr. Hornby
read a report on the homeopathic treatment of
surgical cases, which was continued at the meeting
of May, 1863, and published in the Transactions
of the State Medical Society, Vol. II., 1864. In No-
vember, 1863, Dr. J. F. Merritt made a very able
report of cases of diphtheria, epidemics, etc.,
which was published in the volume just alluded to.
Nov. 30, 1864, the time of annual meeting was
changed to the first Tuesday in October, and the
semi-annual meeting to the first Tuesday in April
of each year.
April 2, 1867, communications from Dr. Jones,
of Albany, and the Secretary of the State Society,
were read, " and it was resolved that members of
the society be requested to use their personal in-
fluence with their patrons, and endeavor to procure
homeopathic treatment to be adopted by the
authorities in the new insane asylum to be erected
near this city."
Oct. 6, 1868, it was resolved : " That the code
of medical ethics adopted by the American Insti-
tute of Homeopathy, at their 21st annual session
held at St. Louis in June, 1868, be the standard
of professional behavior among the members of
this society."
No meetings are recorded between Oct. 10, 187 1,
and April 7, 1874; nor between Oct. 5, 1875, and
Oct. 4, 1880.
The following named gentlemen have served the
society in the capacity of president : —
Federal Vanderburg,* i86i-i866.t
L S. P. Lord, 1867-1871.1
Ephraim Case, 1874.
John Hornby, 1875-1881!
The following have been the members of the so-
ciety ffom its organization to the present time, with
the date of admission : —
Avery Edward W.,§ Poughkeepsie, Oct. 6, 1868.
Avery Henry N.,|| " Qct. i, 1867.
Baxter Wilham,1[ Wappingers Falls, Oct. 6, 1868.
Baxter William, Jr., " « Oct. 6, 1874.
Belden Charles D.,** Fishkill, Oct. 6, 1868.
Buckingham W. E., Milton, Ulster
^^°u°ty, April— ,1870.
Case Ephraim, Clinton Corners, Nov. 27, 1861.
• Dr. Vanderburg resigned the office in 1867 by reason of age and in-
firmities.
t There was no election in 1865, because there was no quorum present.
t No election is recorded in 1870, '72 and '7J.
§ Dr. E. W. Avery removed to Utica in 1869, to undertake , the study
oflaw with his father in Clinton, Oneida county.
II Dr. H. N.Avery removed in 1869.
H Deceased.
** Removed.
T«E DUHCESS COUNTY MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY.
117
Case Walter R., Harts Village, April 2, 1867.
Cook Stephen G.,* Stanfordville, Nov. 27, 1861.
Gidley Wm. H., Moore's Mills, Oct. 5, 1875.
Haight Alonzo, Oct. 5, 1875.
Haight Charles, Poughkeepsie, Oct. 6, 1874.
Hall A, "
Hartley John Fletcher, " Oct. 5, 1875.
Hoffman Ernst F.,* " Nov. 27, 1861.
Hornby John, " Nov. 27, 1861.
Howland Anne C, " Oct. 5, 1875.
Hubbard Levi,t " Oct. — , 1866.
Lansing Benjatnin,1[,§ Hyde Park,-
Lansing G. C.,* Rhinebeck, May 25, 1864.
Lansing Taylor, Poughkeepsie, Oct. 6, 1874.
Lord L S. P.,t " Oct. I, 1867.
Lorillard George, Rhinebeck, Nov. 30, 1864.
Merritt Jesse P., § Pleasant Plains, Nov. 27, 1861.
Mitchell Geo. B. I., Fishkill Ldg., Oct. 5, 1875.
Otis John C, Poughkeepsie, April 6, 1869.
Paine Horace M., Oneida Co.,
(honorary,) April 4, 1865.
Throop A. P.,* Poughkeepsie, Oct. 19, 1880.
Vanderburgh D. W.,|j Rhinebeck, April 2, 1867.
Vanderburg Federal,§ " Nov. 27, 1861.
Whiton Milo James, Fishkill, Oct. — , 1866.
Dr. Milo James Whiton was born at Lee, Mass.,
March 27, 1805, and studied medicine with his
brother. Dr. Lyman Whiton ; also at the Berkshire
Medical College, and with Dr. L. Hubbard, of
Poughkeepsie. He practiced medicine twenty-five
years — seventeen as a homeopath. He possessed
a delicate constitution, and though never enjoying
health himself, was always ready to reUeve the suf-
ferings of others. He was successful in the treat-
ment of chronic diseases, to which he paid most
attention, and particularly to the use of the galvanic
battery in combination with his prescriptions of
medicine. He had formerly practiced in Saratoga
county and removed thence to Brooklyn. He
practiced there four years when his preference for
country life induced him to remove to Fishkill vil-
lage. He died of disease of the heart, Dec. 15,
1867.
The Duchess County Mutual Insurance Com-
pany was chartered April 12, 1836, on application
of James E. Mott, Nathaniel P. Tallmadge, James
Mabbett, Alexander Forbus, Henry ConkUn, Abra-
ham Bockee, Thomas Taber, Daniel D. Akin,
Homer Wheaton** John M. Ketcham, Wm. H.
Bostwick, Daniel H. Shultz, Theodore V. W. An-
thony, Henry Staats, Stephen Thorn, Taber Beld-
♦ Removed to New York. '
+ Removed to DeKalb, 111.
t Removed to Brooklyn, L. I.
§ Deceased.
II Removed to Ilion.
T Removed to Rhinebeck.
** Only the three incorporators whose names are italicized survive, and
they have ceased to be members of the company.
ing, Uriah Gregory, John T. Schryver, Silas Ger-
mond, Obadiah Titus, George H. Tompkins, Wal-
ter Sherman, Daniel Sands, Isaac Haight and
James Vincent, " for the purpose of insuring their
respective dwelling houses, stores, shops, and other
buildings, household furniture, merchandise, and
other property, against loss or damage by fire."
James Emott, James Mabbett, Alexander Forbus,
Abraham Bockee, Thomas Taber, Daniel D Akin,
Homer Wheaton, Wm. H. Bostwick, John T.
Schryver, Stephen Thorn, Silas Germond, John M.
Ketcham and James Vincent were the first directors.
The directors are chosen annually, and transact the
• business of the company in Poughkeepsie. The
first officers were: — James Emott, President;
James E. Slater, Secretary. The charter expired
at the end of twenty years and was extended by act
of April 9th, 1855, for twenty years from April 12,
1856, and under the general insurance laws, for
thirty years, from April 12, 1876. April 30, 1868,
it was made optional with the company to receive
from parties applying for insurance " all cash for
premiums in lieu of a deposit note," for which the
original charter made provision.
Mr. Emott was succeeded in the presidency by
James Mabbett and George Wilkinson, the latter
of whom held the office till his death, Jan. 21, 1881,
since which time no president has been elected. Mr.
Slater was Secretary till his death in 1850, when
Owen T. Coffin was elected. He resigned in 1851,
when LeGrand Dodge was elected and has since
held the office.
The company commenced business without a
dollar, taking premium notes from the insured and
a percentage thereon as a nucleus for a surplus.
Over a million dollars have been paid for losses and
expenses without calling on the members for a
dollar's assessment on premium notes, and during
the forty-four years of its existence the company
has had but one law suit, but has paid every loss
sustained by its policy holders, whether by fire or
lightning. The company has been very successful,
mainly under the efficient direction of the Secre-
tary, Mr. Dodge', who, during his thirty years'
management, has increased the surplus from $16,-
000 to $ 1 50,000. The premium for many years has
uniformly been about 1.6 per cent. June i, 1880,
the date of the 44th annual report, the number of
policies in force was 23,374, and the amount cov-
ered by insurance, $27,548,384. About one-half
the insurance is from Duchess county, the rest
being from Long Island and the river counties. It
is almost entirely confined to farm property.
ii8
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
CHAPTER Xni.
Early Courts— Courts First Authorized in
Duchess (Bounty— First Court House and
Jail in Duchess County— Assessments of
Wards and Precincts at Different Periods —
Subsequent County Buildings — Their Con-
struction AND Destruction — Jail Limits —
County Poor House — Duchess County Civil
List — Miscellaneous Appointments to Dis-
tinguished Positions — Delegates to State
Constitutional Convention — State Sena-
tors — Members of Assembly — First and
County Judges —Surrogates —District At-
torneys— Sheriffs — County Clerks — Coun-
ty Treasurers — County Superintendents of
Common Schools — School Commissioners —
Presidential Electors — Senators and Rep-
resentatives IN Congress.
IN 1683, an act was passed directing that a
Court of Sessions be held by three Justices of
the Peace, twice each year, in each of the twelve
counties erected that year, except New York and
Albany, in the former of which it was to be held
four times, and in the latter three times, each year.
It determined all causes, civil and criminal, by a
jury, but actions exceeding ;^5 could be removed
on application to the Court of Oyer and Ter-
miner. By the act of 1691 and ordinance of 1699,
the functions of this court were confined to crimi-
nal matters, and civil cases were transferred to the
Court of Common Pleas, which was first estab-
lished in New York and Albany in 1686, but in
the other counties in 169 1. Not, however, till
thirty-seven years after its formation as a county
did Duchess enjoy this judicial tribunal, for, from
Oct. 18, 1 70 1, it was provisionally attached to Ul-
ster county. This Couit was originally composed
of one judge and three justices, but in 1702, it was
ordered that the judge be assisted by two or more
justices, all of whom were appointed by the Gov-
ernor, and hold office during his pleasure. It had
cognizance of all actions where the matter in de-
mand exceeded in value the sum of ^^5. July 2 1
1 7 15, the General Assembly authorized the con-
struction of a "county house and prison" in this
county, and July 6, 1720, Governor William Bur-
net passed an ordinance for establishing Courts of
Common Pleas and General Sessions of the Peace
therein. The latter document is an interesting one
and we reproduce it : —
" "Whereas, In the Establishments of the Courts
of Common Pleas and the General Sessions of the
Peace hitherto in the County of Dutches, on the
East-Side of Hudson's River, over against the
County of Vlster, there has been no Courts of
Common 'Pleas or General Sessions of the Peace
Erected and Established to be holden and kept
within the said County, but the Inhabitants of the
same County have sometime formerly been sub-
jected to the Jurisdiction of the Justices of the afore-
said County of Vlster. For Remedy whereof for
the Future, I have thought fit, by and with the Ad-
vice and Consent of his Majesties Council for the
Province of New York, and by virtue of the Power
and Authority unto me given and granted under
the Great Seal of Great Britain, and do hereby
Erect, Establish and Ordain, That from hence-
forward there shall be held and kept at Poghkeep-
son, near the Center of said County, a General Ses-
sions of the Peace, on the third Tuesday in May,
and the third Tuesday in October, yearly and every
year for ever, which General Sessions of the Peace,
in every Sessions, shall not continue for longer
than Two Days, but may finish the business of the
Sessions, possibly, in one Day, and that from hence-
forward there shall be held and kept at Poghkepson,
near the Center, of the said County, a Court of
Common Pleas to begin the next Day, after the
said Courts of General Sessions of the Peace Ter-
minates, and then only, if Busines require, to hold
and continue for two Days next following, and no
longer, with the like Power and Jurisdictions as
other Courts of Common Pleas in other Counties
within the Province of New York, have used and
enjoyed, any former Ordinance, Practice or Usage
to the contrary hereof in any wise notwithstanding.
'■'■Given under my Hand and Seal at Anns in
Council at Fort . George, in New York, the
Sixth Day of July, in the Seventh Year of the
Reign of our Sovereign Lords George, by the
Grace of God, King of Great Britain, France
and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, S^c.
W. Burnet.
"By Order of His Excellency in Council,
Is. Bobin, D. CI Counr*
The court house and jail, though authorized in
1715, were not, says French,! g-pparently com-
pleted till thirty years afterward. Pursuant to the
act of 1715, a meeting was held at the house
of Leonard Lewis, in "Pockepsen" June 22,
17 17, and Capt. Barendt Van Kleeck and Jacobus
Van Der Bogart were chosen commissioners to
build a court house and jail. The meeting was
summoned by an order signed by Lewis Leonard,
Barendt Van Kleeck and Johannes Terboss. It
commanded Cornelius Van Der Bogart to summon
the people to attend. The certificate of the result
is signed by Lewis Leonard, Judge, and Capt.
Barendt Van Kleeck and Machill Palmateer,
Justices. I The land whereon the present court
* Documentary History of New York, ///., 972, 97J.
\ Gazetteer of the State Of New York, 268.
t Poughheepsie Weekly Eagle, July 8, 1876,
THE FIRST COURT HOUSE— FIRST TAX RECORD.
119
house stands, and on which the first one was
erected, was conveyed in 17 18, by deed, by Henry
Van Der Bogart to Barendt Van Kleeck. The origi-
nal building was not erected until 1746. Its con-
struction was again authorized by the Provincial
Legislature in 1743, and it was built under the
supervision of Commissioners, of whom Henry
Livingston was chief, who were appointed to re-
ceive and disburse the money raised for the
purpose. Mr. Livingston received his authority
as financial manager from the Justices of the Peace
of the several precincts. The document is signed
by Justices Jacobus Swartwout, Francis Filkin,
Laurence Van Kleek, John Montross, Mordicai
Lefifert, John Tripp, James Duncan and John
BrinkerhofF. The precincts were assessed accord-
ing to their population and valuation to pay for
the building of the court house. The amount
assessed was about $18,000, of which Rhinebeck,
then the most populous and wealthy, paid nearly
$S,ooo, Rombout, over $4,000, and Poughkeepsie,
less than $2,500. In 1760, an act authorized the
conversion of a jury room into a jail, and four
years after money was raised to complete the
arrangement. This building was destroyed by fire
in 1785, and April 11, of that year, ;^i,S°o were
appropriated for its reconstruction. Cornelius
Humphrey, Peter Tappen and Gilbert Livingston
were the building committee. A further tax of
£■2,000 was ordered in 1786, and of ;^i,3oo in
1787. In the meantime the prisoners were sent
to the Ulster county jail*
The first record of taxes — for the years 1716
and'17— bears date of Jan. 17, 1717. The amount
of property assessed in the North Ward was ^426,
the tax on which was £i^ 19s, 4|d; in the Mid-
dle Ward the assessed valuation was ^^554 and
the tax ;^33 9s. 6Jd ; in the South Ward the
assessed valuation, was ;^32o and the tax, ;^ 19
6s. 7d. Thus the assessed valuation of the county
was £ 1,300, and the tax, £^2 15s. sfd. Of this
^30 IS. 9d. was directed to be paid to A. D.
Peystern, Receiver of the King's tax at New York,
and the rest to Leonard Lewis, Treasurer of the
county. The tax list for the North Ward is
signed by Henricus Beekman and Hendrick Kip,
assessors ; that for the Middle and South Wards,
by Henry V. D. Burgh, Johannes Van Kleeck,
Loanworens Van Kleeck, James Hussey and
Jacobus Van Der Bogart, assessors. The collect-
ors of this tax were Johannes Buys, Cornelius Van
Der Bogart and Matthys Slegt. It is evident, how-
ever, that taxes were collected previous to this, for
a receipt for taxes is mentioned, dated New York,
July 6, 1715, signed A. D. Peyster, Treasurer of
the Province. In 1723, there were 179 taxable
inhabitants in the county.*
The following table shows the assessment of
precincts in 177 1 : —
PRECINCTS.
Southern ■ ■ •
Rumbout
Pawlings
Beekmans
Poughkeepsie
Charlotte
Amenia
Rhinebeck . . . ,
North East. .
Total. .
No. of
Individ-
uals.
683
492
298
JIG
m
6jo
z88
J 84
258
J, 583
;£'>J77
1,888
923
786
80S
1,908
81&
',97'
547
Rate
Tax.
£ s. d.
145
75
191
135
98
82
77
151 12 I
* Sketches of Local Hhiory, by Benson J. Lossing, LL. D., in The
Dutchess Farmer, Dec. 12, 1876.
The second court house, located on the site of
the first, was built of stone, in the old Dutch style
of architecture, and was surrounded by a picket
fence. The jail was in the north end, and con-
tained two tiers of arched cells, the first under-
ground, where prisoners charged with the higher
crimes were placed. The southern half was occu-
pied by Mr. Hatch as a tavern. Here the judges
and jurors boarded during the sessions of the court.
It was no uncommon thing to see " the court,''
jury, counsel, sheriff, constables, prisoner and all
adjourn to Mr. Hatch's bar for drinks. On one of
these social occasions, the prisoner, a horse thief,
slipped away from his custodians. When the judge
resumed his seat, the fact was rnade known to him.
At first he said nothing, but appeared to be in deep
thought. Finally he arose and with more than his
usual gravity, deUvered himself as follows: —
" Gentlemen of the Jury — I am told that the
prisoner has informally taken leave of the Court,
and gone the sheriff knows not whither. This gives
the case before you a more complex phase, as the
statutes distinctly provide that the prisoner shall at
no time, during trial, sentence or punishment ab-
sent himself from the officers of the law. There-
fore it only remains for me to say, that further pros-
ecution in this case must be postponed until the
return of the d — d scoundrel who has thus inform-
ally trifled with the dignity of the Court and the
people of the State of New York."
"The Courts in those days were composed of
rough hewn timber, yet we venture to say their
justice was equal to that dispensed by the judiciary
at the present time."t
This building was destroyed by fire on the night
of Thursday, Sept. 25, 1808, and the act was at-
"^P^ghkeefsie Weekly Eagle, July 8, 1876. Historical Sketch and
Directory of the town of Fishkill, '866, p. 62.
t The Sunday Courier, Poughkeepsie, March '6, 187J.
I30
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
tributed to the criminal inmates of the jail, who
were removed to the Farmers' Hotel, then kept by
Amaziah Blakeslee, on Cannon street, nearly op-
posite the Duchess County Academy, which then
occupied the site of St. Mary's church. None of
the public documents in the clerk's office were
destroyed, and the October terms of Courts were
held in the Reformed Dutch church. An act for
the reconstruction of the building was passed
March 24, 1809, and $t 2,000 was raised for that
purpose. James Tallmadge, John B. Van Wyck
and John Van Benthuysen were commissioned to
superintend its erection. In 1810, $13,000 addi-
tional was raised, and the building was completed
soon after. It is a plain stone edifice, 50 by 100
feet, and its walls were covered with stucco in 186 1.
It contains the county clerk's office, which under-
went some improvements in its interior arrange-
ments in 1877-78, and the other county offices
except that of Surrogate, which is a small one-story
brick building immediately in its rear. Originally
the jail was in the same building, but in 1856, its
condition was represented by the Senate Commit-
tee as extremely unfit for its purpose and unhealthy
to its inmates. The present jail, which is in the
rear of the Poughkeepsie National Bank and to the
west of the rear part of the court house, is a brick
structure, and was erected in 186 r at a cost of
$10,901.51. The jail hmits of Duchess, as laid
out pursuant to the order of the Court of Common
Pleas at the January term of 1809, by David
Brooks, Clerk of said Court, Joseph C. Fields,
Sheriff of said county and James Tallmadge, Jr.,
President of the Trustees of the village of Pough-
keepsie, comprised four and three-fourths acres
of land. In former years, when imprisonment
for debt was in vogue, fifty to sixty adjudged
debtors have been known to circulate within these
prescribed limits for months, and in-some instances
for twenty years or more.*
The poor-house of Duchess county was originally
located at Poughkeepsie. In i74r, an act was
passed for the better rehef of the poor of the coun-
ty, and to remove certain scruples the Supervisors
had to raising money for the maintenance of the
poor. The poor-house is now located in Washing-
ton, three miles south-east of Washington Hollow.
In 1856, a change was contemplated in the method
of supporting the county poor, and in that year an
act was passed empowering the Supervisors, when-
ever any two successive boards should vote a
*The Sunday Courier ai Sept. 14, 1873, gives a minute description
of tliese limits, wlaose boundary marks liave long since been obliterated.
change expedient, to contract for the support and
maintenance of the poor, and to sell the poor-
house buildings and lands and divide the proceeds
between the city of Poughkeepsie and the several
towns in the county, in proportion to the amount
of taxes paid by them respectively.
April 7, 1863, David S. Tallman, John Ferris
and Albert Emons were commissioned to sell the
old poor-house property, which consisted of 105.22
acres of land and buildings, located opposite the
present city alms-house in Poughkeepsie, and pur-
chase other farming lands not less than 50 nor
more than 75 acres, and not less than eight nor
more than fifteen miles from Hudson River, upon
which to keep the county poor ; and they were
authorized to erect upon the lands so purchased
suitable buildings for their accommodation, the
entire cost of land and buildings not to exceed
$20,000. May 9, 1863, they sold the old poor- ,
house farm and buildings at auction for $19,605.55,*
and agreed with the purchasers to pay seven per
cent, on that amount for their use until April i,
1864. May 28, 1863, they received a deed for
74 acres, i rood and 29 perches of land in the
town of Washington from Daniel H. Lyon, for
which they paid $6,182.24, and contracted with
him for the purchase of an additional 29 acres, 3
roods and 29 perches adjoining it at $55 per acre,
subject to the approval of the Supervisors. The
latter purchase was legalized and confirmed by the
Legislature in 1864. (Section i, chap. 286.) The
Commissioners also contracted with Orlando J.
Rust to erect a building 130 feet long, 32 feet
wide, two stories high, with basement, to be built
with wood and filled in with brick— the timber i.o
be in the main, white oak and chestnut — and roofed
with slate, and completed by April i, 1864. The
separate maintenance of the poor of the county
and the city of Poughkeepsie was authorized by
the Legislature in 1863, and Dec. 9th of that year,
the Supervisors directed the Commissioners to pay
to the Aims-House Commissioners of the City of
Poughkeepsie $3,172.60, that being its share of the
proceeds pf the sale of the poor-house property.
The building erected for the poor in 1863, cost
$14,380, including boiler and heater, but was illy
adapted to the purposes for which it was intended,
imperfectly ventilated, destitute of conveniences for
bathing, and did not admit of a proper separation
of the sexes. In 1864, a lunatic asylum was built
at a cost of $5,944.34. It is a plain two-story
*The auctioneer was Henry W. Shaw, {yosh Billings i) of Pough-
keepsie.
COUNTY POOR HOUSE— CIVIL LIST.
121
wooden building, 24 by 36 feet, containing eighteen
cells — nine on each floor — with grated doors and
barred windows. In 1865, a house for the keeper
was erected at a cost of $5,764.92, and in the same
year repairs and other buildings cost $3,877.63.
The entire cost of the poor-house property previous
to i88r, exclusive of ordinary running expenses,
_ amounted to over $45,000.
" The evils resulting from the want of adapta-
tion becoming more evident year by year, the
County Visiting Committee of the State Board of
Charities reported its condition to the Board of
Supervisors in 1876, and again in 1877, afterwards
addressing an open letter to the citizens of the
county." A committee of Supervisors was ap-
pointed, and in the spring of 1879, many repairs
were made. But the building was still in an un-
satisfactory condition, and on the recommendation
otthe committee a further appropriation of $1,000
was made. This sum proved inadequate to accom-
plish all that was needed and contemplated, but
sufficed to perfect a desired object — a complete
division of the house and grounds into two depart-
ments— which was economically accomplished,
more by a skillful re-arrangement and utilization
of material on the ground, than by the erection of
new buildings. Various other changes and im-
provements were made, involving the changing of
the front of the house from the west to the north ;
but they were not all that could be desired. The
Superintendent, David S. Tallman, entered upon
* the duties of his office Jan. i, 1880, at which time
the number of inmates was 160. Nov. i, 1880, this
number was reduced to loi, against 106 the same
time the previous year. The average number of
paupers in 1880 was 114, a reduction of 22 as
compared with the previous year. The average
cost of support per week was $2.24. The total
amount of receipts, including appropriation,
($r2,ooo,) was $13,771; the total amount of
disbursements, $13,420.28. April i, 1880, the
books showed one hundred and forty-two resident
paupers, of whom ninety-five were men, (twenty-
seven Americans,) forty white women, (twenty-
three Americans,) six colored men, and six
colored women, twenty-three foreign women, sixty-
two of foreign birth, five blind, eleven insane, four
aliens, and one mute of fifteen years, removed
September ist, to the institution at Rome. The
majority were old and feeble, and the remainder of
the class usually found in poor-houses, indolent,
weak-minded, victims of unfortunate circumstan-
ces. Religious services are held semi-monthly in
the dining-room, which is in the basement of the
building ; and for such as choose, a way is provided
to attend the Catholic Church. Children at two
years of age are placed in the Orphan House at
Poughkeepsie, or Colored Orphan Asylum in
Brooklyn. The institution is deficient in its pro-
visions for the sick. Medical attendance is secured
twice a week, but no rooms have been set apart
for their especial care and comfort. The house
work is done by the women, and most of the farm
work by the men. The building is heated by
steam, and water is conveyed to the wash-house,
where it is obtained by the inmates for use. In
. December, 1880, the Supervisors appropriated
$1,500 to complete the repairs in progress on the
building, and the Superintendent was authorized
to purchase earthen bowls and plates to replace the
tinware then in use, also chairs for the dining-
room in place of benches, and to put enameled
covers on the dining tables,*
Duchess County Civil List. — Duchess county
has produced many men of talent and eminence in
the various professions, and has always been ably
represented in legislative bodies. " It was so in
the Provincial Assembly," says Mr. Lossing, " and
especially so when, in 1775, British rule was dis-
carded and a Provincial Convention took the
political power of the province under its control.
In that convention Duchess county was represented
by Egbert Benson, Morris Graiham and Robert R.
Livingston. The latter was the eminent Chancel-
lor, whose name has been made immortal by his
connection with the first successful efforts in steam
navigation. In the New York Provincial Congress
and Convention from 1775 to 1777 inclusive, when
a State government was formed. Duchess was rep-
resented by men of mark, such as Derick Brincker-
hoff. Dr. Crane, Jacob Evertson, Morris Graham,
Henry Hoffman, Cornelius Humphrey, Jacob
Kane, Jonathan Landon, Gilbert and James Liv-
ingston, Robert G. and Robert R. Livingston,
Richard Montgomery, (who was slain at Quebec,)
Ephraim Paine, Zephaniah Piatt, Beverly Robin-
son, Nathaniel Sackett, Guysbert, Henry, John
and Paul Schenck, Melancton Smith, Peter Ten
Broeck, James Vanderburgh and Theodorus
Van Wyck."t
Duchess county has furnished two Lieut--Gov-
ernors of New York— James Tallmadge, elected
* Twelfth and Fourteenth Annual Reports of the State Board of
Charities, of which body Sarah M . Carpenter, of Poughkeepsie, is Com-
missioner for the Second Judicial District ; Proceedings of the Board of
Supervisors of Duchess County, for 1880, and other documents.
t Sketches of Local History, in The Dutchess Farmer, Dec. 12, 1876.
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
Nov. I, 1824, and Peter R. Livingston, the noted
politician, who spent most of his life in Rhinebeck,
and who, on the death of Gov. DeWitt Clinton
Feb. Ti, 1828, and the assumption of the guberna-
torial duties by Lieut.-Gov. Nathaniel Pitcher, was
elected President of the Senate Feb. 16, 1828 ;
one staff officer, J. Watts de Peyster, of Tivoli,
who was appointed Adjutant-General of the State,
Jan. I, 185s ; three Secretaries of State, Thomas
Tillotson, of Red Hook, appointed August 10,
1801, and again Feb. 16, 1807, Robert R. Tillot-
son, of Red Hook, appointed February 12,
r8i6, and Homer A. Nelson, of Poughkeepsie,
elected November 5, 1867 ; two State Treasurers,
Joseph Howland, of Matteawan, who was elected
Nov. 7, 1865, and James Mackin, of Fishkill,
elected Nov. 6, 1877 ; three Attorneys-General,
Egbert Benson, of Red Hook, appointed May 8,
1777, Morgan Lewis, of Rhinebeck, elected Nov.
8, 1 791, and Thomas J. Oakley, of Poughkeepsie,
elected July S, 1819; one Canal Commissioner,
James Hooker, of Poughkeepsie, appointed Feb-
ruary 8, 1842; one Inspector of the New York
Prison, James Teller, of Matteawan, who was
thrice appointed, first April i, 18 11, again March
17, 18 1 5, and again Feb. 24, 182 1 ; two members
of the first Board of R.egents, Anthony Hoffman,
of Rhinebeck, and Cornehus Humfrey ; one to
the second board, Gilbert Livingston ; and one to
the board under the new system, adopted in 1787,
Smith Thompson, of Stanford, appointed March 3,
1813 ; three Commissioners of the State Board of
Charities, Harvey G. Eastman, of Poughkeepsie,
appointed June 17, r867, (in which year the Board
was organized,) and re-appointed March 19, 1873,
James Roosevelt, of Hyde Park, appointed as
Eastman's successor, February 12, 1879, and Sarah
M. Carpenter, of Poughkeepsie, who is the present
incumbent of the office in the Second Judicial
District ; one Judge of the Court of Appeals,
Charles H. Ruggles, of Poughkeepsie, elected June
7, 1847, for six years, and re-elected Nov. 8, 1853,
resigning the office August 20, 1855 i a Chief Jus-
tice of the Supreme Court, Smith Thompson,
appointed Feb. 3, 1814; three Puisne Justices of
the Supreme Court of the State, Morgan Lewis,
of Rhinebeck, appointed Dec. 24, 1792, Egbert
Benson, of Red Hook, appointed Jan. 29, 1794, and
Smith Thompson, appointed Jan. 8, 1802;* three
Circuit Judges, (Second Circuit,) James Emott, of
Poughkeepsie, appointed Feb. 21, 1827, Charles
• Judge Benson drew the first rules of the Court for the Correction of
Errors, which were adopted in April, 1796.
H. Ruggles, of Poughkeepsie, appointed March
9, 1 83 1, and Seward Barculo, of Poughkeepsie,
appointed April 4, 1846 ; a Justice of the General
Term of the Supreme Court, Joseph F. Barnard,
of Poughkeepsie, (Second Department,) who was
appointed Dec. 25, 1870, and is the present incum-
bent J four Justices of the Supreme Court, Seward
Barculo, elected June 7, 1847, and died in office
June 17, 1854, Gilbert Dean, of Poughkeepsie, ap-
pointed on the decease of Barculo, June 26, 1854,
James Emott, elected Nov. 6, 1855, and Joseph F.
Barnard, the present incumbent, elected Nov. 3,
1863, and re-elected ; a member of the Council of
the Colony of New York, John Johnston, from
1716 to 1722; a member of the first Council of
Safety, which was appointed May 3, 1777, and sat
from May 14 to Sept. 10, 1777, Zephaniah Piatt,
of Poughkeepsie ; andtwo members of the second
Council of Safety, which sat from Oct. 8, 1777 to
Jan 7, 1778, first at Kingston, then at Hurley and
finally at Poughkeepsie, viz : Egbert Benson, of
Red Hook, and Jonathan Landon ; ten members
of the Council of Appointment, Zephaniah Piatt,
appointed Oct. 17, 1778, and again Oct. 25, 1781,
Ephraim Paine, Sept. 11, 1780, (vacated by expul-
sion from the Senate March 15, 1781,) Jacobus
Swartwout, of Fishkill, Jan. 21, 1784, and again
Jan. 19, 1786, Anthony Hoffman, of Rhinebeck,
Jan. 18, 1788, Thomas Tillotson, of Red Hook,
Jan. 14, 1791, Abraham Schenck, of Fishkill, Jan.
7, 1796, Abraham Adriance, of Poughkeepsie, Feb.
7, 1804, Robert Williams, of Poughkeepsie, Jan.
31, 1810, Peter R. Livingston, of Rhinebeck, Jan.
3r, 1818, and Stephen Barnum, Feb. 3, 1819; a
Secretary of War, John Armstrong, of Red Hook,
who was appointed by President Madison, Jan. 13,
1813 ; two Secretaries of the Navy, Smith Thomp-
son, who was appointed Nov. 9^,1818, and James
K. Paulding, the author of Salmagundi and other
works of merit, who was appointed June 25, 1 838 ;*
a Judge of the Supreme Court of the United States,
Smith Thompson, appointed Sept. 21, 1823; a
diplomatic officer, John Armstrong, appointed
Minister Plenipotentiary to France, June 30, 1804;
a Judge of the Circuit Court of the United States,
Egbert Benson, appointed Feb. 20, r8o4.
Delegates to State Constitutional Conventions.—
Jonathan Atkins, John DeWitt, Gilbert Living-
ston, Zephaniah Piatt, Melancton Smith,t Jacobus
Swartwout and Ezra Thompson r^resented
Duchess county in the convention which met at
* It is a noteworthy fact that the only two Secretaries of the Navy from
this State were from Duchess county,
t Resided in New York City.
CIVIL LIST— STATE SENATORS, MEMBERS OF ASSEMBLY.
123
Poughkeepsie to adopt the Federal Constitution,
and sat from June 17 to July 26, 1788. Atkins
and Swartwout voted against the Constitution ;
Thompson did not vote. In the convention of
1 80 1, Duchess county was represented by Jona-
than Akin, Isaac Bloom, Caleb Hazen, Peter
Huested, Edmund ' Parlee, Smith Thompson,
Joseph Thorn, John VanBenthuysen, Theodorus
VanWyckand Ithamer Weed ; in that of 1821, by
Elisha Barlow, Isaac Hunting, Peter R. Living-
ston, Abraham H. Schenck and James Tallrnadge ;
and in that of 1846 by Peter K. Dubois, Charles
H. Ruggles and James Tallmadge, and in that of
1867, by B. Piatt Carpenter, Wilson B. Sheldon
and Homer A. Nelson, the latter of whom was
delegate at large.
State Senators. — Previous to 1821, the senator-
ial districts were designated as Southern, Middle,
Eastern and Western. The Middle District orig-
inally embraced Duchess, Orange and Ulster
counties, and was entitled to six senators. Subse-
quently Columbia, Delaware, Chenango, Greene
and Sullivan counties were added. Its representa-
tion was twelve senators from 1796 to 1808, and
seven from 1808 to 1815. April 17, 1815, Duch-
ess, Kings, New York-, Putnam, Queens, Rich-
mond, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester counties
were constituted the Southern District, and enti-
tled to six senators. The county retained this
connection during the further continuance of the
First Constitution.
Under the Second Constitution, adopted in
1821, the State was divided into eight senatorial
districts, which were designated by number.
Duchess was united with Putnam, Rockland,
Orange, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties
in forming the Second District. April 18, 1826,
Delaware was annexed, but was transferred May
23, 1836, at which time Queens and Suffolk were
added. Each district was entitled to four senators,
one of whom was elected annually for the term of
four years.
Under the Third or present Constitution, the
State is divided into thirty-two districts, in each of
which one member is elected in each odd year.
Duchess was associated with Columbia in forming
the Eighth District. April 13, 1857, the same
counties were constituted the. Eleventh District,
and maintained that relation until April 23, 1879,
when they were associated with Putnam in forming
the Fifteenth District.
The State senators from Duchess county have
been as follows: Jonathan Landon, 1777-79;
Zephaniah Piatt, i777-'83; Ephraim Paine, 1779
-'81, 1782-85; Jacobus Swartwout, i784-'95 ;
CorneKus Humfrey, i787-'89; Anthony Hoffman,
1788-90; Thomas Tillotson, 1791-99; Abraham
Schenck, i796-'99; Peter Cantine, Jr., 1798-1801 ;
Isaac Bloom, 1800-1802 ; David VanNess, 1801-
1802 ; Abraham Adriance, 1 803-1 806 ; Robert
Johnston, 1804-1807; Robert Williams, i8o8-'ii ;
Morgan Lewis, i8ii-'i5 i Wm. M. Tabor, 1812-
'15 ; Peter R. Livingston, i8i6-'22, i826-'29 ;
Stephen Barnum, i8i8-'2i ; Nathaniel P. Tall-
madge, i83o-'33 ; Leonard Maison, i834-'37 ;
Henry A. Livingston, i838-'4i; Abraham Bockee,
1 842-' 45 ; Alexander J. Coffin, 1 848-' 49 ; John
H. Otis, i8s2-'53 ; William Kelly, i856-'57 ;
John H. Ketcham, i86o-'6i ; John B. Dutcher,
i864-'6s: Abiah W. Palmer, i868-'69, i872-'73;
George Morgan, 1870-71 ; B. Piatt Carpenter,
i876-'77.
Members of Assembly. — There has been great
variation in Duchess county's representation , in the
Assembly, which has corresponded with that of the
ratio of her population to that of the State, the ex-
tremes being two and ten. She had seven members
under the first and second apportionments — April
20,1777, andFeb. 7, 1791; ten under that of March
4j 1796; seven under that of March 31st, 1802;
six under that of April i, 1808; five under that
of April 8, 1815; four under those of April 121
1822, and April 18, 1826; three under those of
May 23, 1836, and March 8, 1846; two under
those of April 13, 1857, April 15, 1866, and April
23, 1879, ^^ latter of which remains in force.*
Duchess was not represented separately in the
Colonial Assembly until 1 7 1 3. Previous to that time
when represented at all,f it was connected with Ul-
ster county. The first resident representative was
Leonard Lewis, who was elected and served in 1 7 13
-'26, being associated in 1715-17 with Baltus Van
Kleeck, who served till his death, and was succeed-
ed by Johannis Terbosch, who was admitted May
4, 1 7 17, and served till his death, when Henry
Beekman was chosen his successor. The latter
was admitted August 31, 1725, and served contin-
uously until 1758. Their successors were Johan-
nis Van Kleeck, i726-'37; Jacobus Ter Boss, 1737-
'43; Johannis Tappen, 1743-51; Henry Filkin,
* Since 1857, Amenia, Beekman, Dover, East Fishkil], Fishkil], La
Grange, North East, Pawling, Pine Plains, Stanford, Union Vale, Wap-
pinger, (frcm 1875,) and Washington, have formed the First Assembly
District ; and Clinton, Hyde Park, Milan, Pleasant Valley, Poughkeep-
sie, City of Poughkeepsie, Red Hook and Rhinebeck the Second.
tit would appear from StnitfCs History of New York (page i6z, Ed.
1814, } that for some years at least previous to 1713, Duchess was not rep-
resented.
124
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
1752-58; Robert R. and Henry Livingston, 1759
-'68; Leonard Van Kleeck and Dirck Brinckerhoff,
i768-'75.
Her deputies to the Provincial Congress were :
Dirck Brinckerhoff,. Anthony Hoffman, Zephaniah
Piatt, Richard Montgomery, Ephraim Paine, Gil-
bert Livingston, Jonathan Landon, Guisbert
Schenck, Melancton- Smith and Nathaniel Sackett
in 1775; Petrus Ten Broeck, Beverly Robinson,
Cornelius Humphreys, Henry Schenck, Gilbert
Livingston, John Kaine, Jacob Everson, Morris
Graham, and Robert G. Livingston in 1775-76;
Robert R. Livingston, James Livingston, Gilbert
Livingston, Jonathan Landon, Morris Graham,
Henry Schenck, Theodorus Van Wyck, John
Schenck, Anthony Hoffman, Paul Schenck, Na-
thaniel Sackett, Cornelius Humphreys, Zephaniah
Piatt, James Vanderburgh, Benjamin Delavergne
and John Field in 1776; Zephaniah Piatt, Na-
thaniel Sackett, Gilbert Livingston, Doctor Crane,
Henry Schenck, James Livingston, John Schenck,
Anthony Hoffman, Robert R. Livingston and
Jonathan Landon in 1776-77.
Her Members of Assembly have been : Egbert
Benson, 1777-81, 1788; Dirck Brinckerhoff,
1777-80, 1781, 1784-87; Anthony Hoffman,
i777-'79- 1784; Gilbert Livingston, 1777,-78,
1788-89; Andrew Moorhouse, 1777-79; John
Schenck, i7Tj-'7g; Jacobus Swartwout, 1777-79,
1780-83; Joseph Crane, Jr., 1778-79, 1789-90,
1796-97'; Samuel Dodge, 1778-81 ; Annanias
Cooper, 1779-80; Henry Ludenton, 1779-81,
1786-87; Brinton Paine, 1779-81, 1785-87; Na-
(thaniel Sackett, 1779-80; Ebenezer Cary, 1780-
'81, 1784-85; Guisbert Schenck, 1780-81 ; Jona-
than Dennis, 1781-84; Cornelius Humfrey, 1781-
'85; Ebenezer Husted, 1781-84, 1789-90; Abra-
ham Paine, 1781-82; Thomas Storm, 1781-84;
Benjamin Birdsall, 1782-83; Matthew Patterson,
1782-89, 1792-93; Abraham Brinckerhoff, 1784-
'85 ; James Tallmadge, 1784-85, i7gi-'92, 1824;
John DeWitt, 1786, i788-'89, 1794; Lewis Duboys,
i786-'87 ; Jacob Griffin, i786-'87, i788-'89 ; John
DeWitt, Jr., i787-'88;IsaacBloom,i788-'92; Peter
Cantine,Jr., 1788; Morris Graham, 1788; Thomas
Tillotson, 1788, 1789-90; Jonathan Akin, 1788-
'89, i79i-'93, 1841; Samuel A. Barker, 1788-92,
1794-95, 1796-97, i8o8-'89, i8ii; Isaac J. Tal-
man,i789-'9o;JamesKent, 1791, i792-'93'; Henry
^ Schenck, 1791; David VanNess, 1791 ; Daniel
Graham, 1792; Morgan Lewis, 1792; Josiah
Holly, i792-'93; Ebenezer Mott, i792-'93, 1798-
1801; Barnabas Payen, 1792-93; Wm. Radclift,
i792-'93; Jacob Bockee, 1794-95, i796-'97;
David Brooks, 1794-96, 1810; Jesse Oakley,
1794-97; Isaac Van Wyck, i794-'96, i8io-'ii;
Jacob Smith, i795-'98; Richard Davis, i796-'97,
Solomon Sutherland, 1796; Jesse Thomp-
son, i796-'98, i8o8-'o9, i8i4-'i9; WiUiam Pearce,
i796-'97, i798-'99; William B. Verplanck,
i796-'98; William Wheeler, i796-'97; William
Barker, 1798, 1800; Lemuel Clift, i798-'99, 1810-
'11 ; Luther Holly, 1798; Joseph Potter, 1798,
1814; Philip J. Schuyler, 1798; John Thomas,
1798; Sanluel Towner, 1798, 1800; Abraham
Adriance, 1798-1802; Henry Dodge, i798-'99,
i8i2-'i3; Robert Johnston, 1798-1801; Piatt
Smith, i798-'99; Jonathan Soule, i798-'99; Will-
iam Taber, 1798-1800, 1804;, John VanBenthuy-
sen, 1798-1800, i8o4-'o6; William Emott, 1800;
Joseph C. Field, 1800, 1803, 1806; Isaac Sher-
wood, 1800-1801, i8o4-'o5; Benjamin Akin, 1800-
1802; Elisha Barlow, 1 800-1 802 ; Nicholas H.
Emigh, 1800-1802; Zalmon Sanford, 1800-1804;
Smith Thompson, 1 800-1 801 ; John M. Thurston,
1800-1802, i8o4-'o5; Theodorus Bailey, 1802;
Harry Garrison, 1802; Alexander Spencer, 1802;
John Thompson, 1802; John Jewett, 1803; John
Martin, i8o3-'o4; Thomas Mitchell, i8o3-'o4;
Philip Spencer, Jr., 1803; Theodorus R. Van-
Wyck, i8o3-'o4; James Winchell, 1803; Joseph
E. Hoff, 1804; Benajah Thompson, 1804, 1808-
'09; Job Crawford, i8o4-'o5 ; Isaac Hunting,
i8o4-'os ; John Patterson, i8o4-'o5 ; Abraham H.
Schenck, i8o4-'o6 ; Barnabas Carver, 1806; Ben-
jamin Herrick, 1806; WiUiam D. WilUams, 1806;
Veniah Wooley, i8o6-'o7 ; John Haight,i8o7-'o8;
Aaron Hazen, 1807; Theron Rudd, 1807; John
Storm, 1807; Tobias L. Stoutenburgh, i8o7-'o8;
Martin E. Winchel, 1807-08; Albro Akin, 1808,
i82o-'2i; Devoue Bailey, i8o8^ George Casey
and Cyrenus Crosby, 1808; George Bloom and
Derick A. Brinckerhoff, i8o8-'o9; Ebenezer
Haight, i8o8-'io; Coert Dubois, i8io-'ii;
Alexander Neely, i8io-'ii; Shadrach Sher-
man, 1811; Joseph Arnold, Cyrus Benjamin,
Isaac Bryan and John Warren, 1812-13; Robert
Weeks, 1812; John Beadle, i8i2-'i3, i8i4-'is,
1819 ; William A. Duer, i8i4-'i7 ; James Emott,*
i8i4-'i5, i8i6-'i7; Samuel Mott, 1814; Joel
Benton, i8i4-'i5, i8i6-'i7, 1831; James Grant,
1814-15; Zachariah Hoffman, 1816; Thomas J.
Oakley, 1816, i8i8-'2o; Isaac Smith, 1816; John
B. Van Wyck, 1816; Nathaniel Pendleton and
Abiel Sherman, i8i6-'i7; Benjamin Haxton,
* James Emott was Speaker of the Assembly in 1814.
CIVIL LIST— MEMBERS OF ASSEMBLY, FIRST AND COUNTY JUDGES.
125
Andrew Pray and Jehiel Sackett, 1818; John W.
Wheeler, 1818-20; James Ketchum and David
Tomlinson,i8i9; Abraham Bockee, Jacob Doughty
and Mathew Mesier, 1820; Benjamin H. Conklin,
Coert Dubois, Israel Harris and Joseph I. Jack-
son, 1820-21 ; John Cox, Daniel Northrup, Philo
Ruggles, Benjamin Sherman and George Vanden-
burgh, 1822 ; Wheeler Gilbert, Prince Hoag,
Peter R. Livingston* and Samuel M. Thurston,
1823 ; John Klapp and Alfred S. Pell, 1824; Gil-
bert Thome, 1824-25 ; Eli Angevine, John Arm-
strong, Jr., and Enos Hopkins, 1825 ; Isaac R.
Adriance, Martin Lawrence and Thomas Tabor,
2d., 1826; Daniel D. Akin, 1826, 1833; Egbert
Cary, Jacob C. Elmendoif, Samuel B. Halsey and
Henry A. Livingston, 1827; Taber Belding, 1828,
1837 ; Francis A. Livingston, George W. Slocum
and Nathaniel P. Tallmadge, 1828; Elijah Baker,
Jr., Tobias Teller and Stephen D. VanWyck,
1829; Stoddard Judd, 1829, 1835-36; James
Hughson, George P. Oakley, Jacob VanNess and
Philo M. Winchell, 1830; Samuel B. Halsey,
William Hooker and John E. Townsend, 1831;
Robert Coffin, Eli Hamblin, Michael S. Martin
and Israel Shadbolt, 1832 ; Joel Brown and Geo.
Lambert, 1833 ; Henry Conklin, 1833-34, 1839-
'40; Theodore V. W. Anthony, 1834-35 ; Wra.
H. Bostwick, 1834, 1854 ; James Mabbett, 1834 ;
David Barnes, Jr., and Stephen Thorn, 1835 '>
Abijah G. Benedict, Cornelius H. Cornell and
William Eno, 1836 ; John R. Myer and David
Sheldon, 1837 ; Cornelius Dubois, 1838; Freeborn
Garretson, 1838, 1845; Jacob Sisson, i838-'39;
Daniel Toffey, i839-'40; Amos Bryan, 1840;
Edmund Elmendorf and John Thompson, 1841;
Peter K. Dubois and Richard C. VanWyck, 1842;
John H. Ketcham, i842-'43, i856-'57; Gilbert
Bentley and John Elseffer, 1843 ; Alexander H.
Coffin, John K. Mead and Ambrose L. Pinney,
1844 ; Epenetus Crosby and Walter Sherman,
1845, 1847 ; Elnathan Haxton, George T. Pierce
and Daniel Sherwood, 1846 ; Aves I. Vanderbilt,
1847 ; Edgar Vincent and James Hammond, 1848-
'49; David Collins, Jr., 1848; Wesley Butts,
1849; Charles Robinson, iSso-'si ; Minor C.
Story and Stephen Haight, 1850; Howland R.
Sherman and William H. Feller, 185 1 ; John S.
Emans and Augustus Martin, i852-'53; John M.
Keese, 1852; James H. Weeks, 1853; Peter P.
Monfoort and George W. Sterling, 1854; Albert
Emans and Ambrose Wager, 1855, 1858; Joseph
E. Allen, 1855; Daniel O. Ward, 1856; Jacob B.
* Peter R. Livingston was Speaker of the Assembly in 1823.
Carpenter, 1856, 1873; Franklin Dudley and
Cornehus N. Campbell, 1857; James Mackin,
1859. i873-'75; Samuel J. Farnum, 1859, 1861 ;
Richard J. Garrettson, i860; Abiah W. Palmer,
i860, 1866 ; John B. Dutcher, i86i-'62 ; Edmund
Green, 1862 ; Luther S. Dutcher and Joseph C.
Doughty, 1863; John N. Cramer, 1864; James
Howard, i864-'6s; Mark D. Wilber, i865-'67 ;
Augustus A. Brush, i867-'68; Alfred T. Ackert,
1868; David R. Gould and William W. Hege-
man, 1869; James A. Seward and David H.
Mulford, i87o-'7i; Edward M. Goring, 1872;*
Harvey G. Eastman, 1872, 1874; Benjamin
S. Broas, 1875; Thomas Hammond and De-
Witt Webb, i876-'77 ; Obed Wheeler, i878-'79;
Peter Hulme, 1878; Cornelius Pitcher, 1879;
Isaac S. Carpenter, i879-'8o; James E. Dutcher,
1880.
J^trsi and County Judges. — The Court of Com-
mon Pleas was continued from the colonial period.
For most of the time under the First Constitution
the number of Judges and Assistant Justices in
the several counties differed, reaching, in some
counties, as many as twelve of each. March 27,
18 1 8, the office of Assistant Justice was abolished,
and the number of Judges limited to five, includ-
ing the First Judge. The Judges were appointed
by the Governor and Senate for a period of five
years. The constitution of 1846 provided for the
election of a County Judge for each county, except
the city and county of New York, and the new
judiciary article extended the tenure of office from
four to sue years, upon the election of the succes-
sors of the present incumbents.
The First Judges of Duchess county were :
Leonard Lewis, appointed in 1716 ; Jacobus Ter-
boss, Nov. 24, 1739 ; Martinus Hoffman, Dec. 30,
1749; Jacobus Terboss, May 6, 1755; Beverly
Robinson, May 4, 1769 ; Ephraim Paine, Jan. 30,
1778 ;t Zephaniah Piatt, June 28, 1781; David
Brooks, Nov. 24, 1795; John Johnston, June 5,
1807 ; James Emott, April 8, 181 7 ; Maturin Liv-
ingston, Feb. 3, 1823 ; Daniel C. Verplanck,
March 11, 1828; Edmund H. Pendleton, Jan. 16,
1830; Joseph I. Jackson, Jan. 20, 1840; Seward
Barculo, March 5, 1845 ; Abraham Bockee, April
8, 1846 ; John Rowley, May 12, 1846. The
County Judges, since the office was made elective,
have been: John Rowley, 1847;! Egbert Q.
Eldridge, 185 1 ; Homer A. Nelson, 1855 ;§ Charles^
" » Edward M. Goring was Sergeant-at-Arms of the Assembly in 1873.
t Resigned Jan. 30, 1 78 1.
X Rowley was elected in June : those who succeeded him, in November.
§ Resigned Nov. ^7, 1863.
r26
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
Wheaton, 1863;* AUard Anthony, 1867; Henry
M. Taylor, 1871 ; B. Piatt Carpenter, 1877.
Surrogates. — Previous to i8zi. Surrogates were
designated by the Council of Appointment ; from
182 1 to 1846, by the Governor and the Senate.
The constitution of 1846 abolished the office and
devolved its duties on County Judges, except in
counties having a population exceeding 40,000, in
which it was made elective. This office has been
held successively by Gilbert Livingston, appointed
June 16, 1778; Anthony Hoffman, March 28,
1785; Gilbert Livingston, March 13, 1787 ; James
Tallraadge, Jr., Nov. 9, 1804; Thomas J. Oakley,
Feb. 9, 1 810; George Bloom, March 11, 1811;
Philo Ruggles, March 19, 1813 ; Derrick B. Stock-
holm, Feb. 16, 18x5; John Brush, July 9, 1819;
Ebenezer N/e, March i, 1821; James Hooker,
March 7, 1828 ; Robert Wilkinson, Feb. 10, 1840;
Virgil D. Bonesteel, Feb. 10, 1844; John P. H.
Tallman, 1847 ;t Edgar Thorn, 1855; Peter Dor-
land, 1859 ; Milton A. Fowler, 1867 ; Peter Dor-
land, 1871J Collins Sheldon, 1877.
District Attorneys. — The original appellation of
this office, which was created Feb. 12, 1796, was
that of Assistant Attorney-General, who was ap-
pointed by the Governor and Council. The office
of District Attorney was created April 4, 1801.
At first the State was divided into seven districts,
but subsequently several new ones were formed.
In April, 18 18, each county was constituted a sep-
arate district. The office was made elective by
the Constitution of 1846. During the period of
the district system Duchess belonged to the second
district, which also included the counties of Orange
and Ulster under the act of 1796, and Delaware,
Rockland and Ulster under that of 1801.
Duchess first filled the office, Jacob RadclifF being
appointed Feb. 23, 1796. He was succeeded Jan.
27, 1798, by Coenrad E. Elmendorph, an Ulster
county man, who held the office until the act of
1801 took effect, and for a short time during its
operation. August 19, 1801, Smith Thompson, of
Duchess, succeeded to the office, and was in his
turn succeeded by Lucas Elmendorf, of Ulster
Oct. 28, 1 80 1, Randall S. Street, of Poughkeepsie
Feb. 9, 18 10, Samuel Hawkins, of Ulster, Feb. 15,
1811, Randall S. Street, of Poughkeepsie, March
19, 1813, and George Bloom, of Duchess, Feb. 13,
1 8 15. The latter was reappointed June 11, 18 18
, and has been succeeded under the new regime of
that year by Philo Ruggles, appointed July 8, i8ig;
* Appointed Nov. S7, 1863, vice Nelson resigned.
t Tallraar. was elected in June ; those who succeeded him, in Novem-
ber.
Francis A. Livingston, Feb. 14, 182 1; Stephen
Cleveland, i826(?); George A. Shufeldt, 1836 (?); E.
M. Swift, 1843 (?) ; WilHam Eno, 1845 {?); Joseph
T.Lee, June, 1847; JamesEmott, Jr.,Feb. 3, 1849;*
Thomas C. Campbell, 1849;! Silas Woodell, 1855 ;
Benjamin Piatt Carpenter, 1858 ;{ Alfred Antho-
ny, Dec. IS, i86o;§ William J. Thorn, 1867 j
Tristram Coffin, 1870; James L. Williams, 1873;
William B. Woodin, 1876, re-elected in 1879.
Sheriffs. — Under the Colonial Government,
Sheriffs were appointed annually, in the month of
October, unless otherwise noticed. Under the
First Constitution, (1777-1821,) they were ap-
pointed annually by the Council of Appointment,
and no person could hold the office for more than
four successive years. The Sheriff could not hold
any other office, and must be a free-holder in the
county to which he was ^pointed. Under the
Second Constitution, (1S21 to 1846,) Sheriffs were
elected for a term of three years, but were inelig-
ible to election for the next succeeding term.
These provisions are operative at the present
time.
The Sheriff was once an officer held in great re-
spect. He arranged all the ceremonials of the
court, and formally announced to the judges the
particular hour the court-room was in order for
their reception. He was equipped with side arms,
and kept his sword unsheathed on the desk in front
of his seat. He, with his deputies, formally in-
ducted the Judges from their lodgings to the court-
room ; the jurors closed the procession. He
opened the court with solemn proclamation. In
every respect the office of Sheriff was once of more
import in the public estimation than now. ||
Until 172 1, Duchess was united with Ulster
county in the functions of this office. The first
Sheriff of Duchess county was J. van ^e Voert, who
was appointed in October, 172 i.l His successors
have been: William Squire, appointed in 1731 ;
James Willson, 1737; Henry Filkin, 1743; Will-
iam Barnes, 1748 ; Isaac Brinckerhoff, 1749 ; Clear
Everit, 1754 ; James G. Livingston, 1761 ; Hen-
ry Rosekrans, Jr., 1769; Philip J. Livingston, 1772;
Melancton Smith, May 8, 1777, and Jan. 6, 1778,
the first time appointed by the Provincial Conven-
tion ; Lewis Dubois, March 22, 1781; Harmon
Hoffman, March 9, 1785; John DeWitt, Feb. 28,
• Appointed vice Lee, deceased.
+ Campbell and his successors were elected in November.
X Resigned. s
§ Appointed vice Carpenter, resigned ; elected in 1861 and '64.
II Clark's History of Chenango County.
_ irj. van de Voerl's successors durins: the Colonial period were appointed
m October.
CIVIL LIST— COUNTY CLERKS, TREASURERS, PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS. 127
1789; John VanBenthuysen, Feb. 18, 1793;
John Dewitt, Feb. 21, 1794; William Radcliff,
Feb. 7, 1797 ; Robert Williams, Feb. 18, 1801 ;
Joseph Thorn, Feb. 23, 1805 ; John VanBenthuy-
sen, March 5, 1807; Joseph C. Field, Nov. 12,
1808; John VanBenthuysen, Feb. 9,1810; Joseph
C. Field, Feb. 15, 181 1 ; Derick A. Brinckerhoff,
Feb. 4, 181 2 ; John Radcliff, March 19, 1813;
William Griffin, Apjril 8, 1817 ; Gilbert Ketchum,
Feb. 9, 1819 ; Richard C. Van Wyck, July, 1819 ;
William Griffin, Feb. 12, 1821 and elected in No-
vember, 1822 ;* John A. Wood, 1825 ; Obadiah
Titus, 1828 ; Abraham Myers. 1831 j Thomas N.
Perry, 1834; Stephen D. Van Wyck, 1837;
Thomas N. Perry, 1840 ; Alonzo H. Mory, 1843;
David N. Seaman, 1846 ; Alonzo H. Mory, 1849 >
Henry Rikert, 1852 ; Moses C. Sands, 1855 ;
James Hammond, 1858; Judah Swift, 1861;
George Lamoree, 1864; Richard Kenworthy,
1867 j CorneUus Pitcher, 1870 ; John G. Hal-
stead, 1873 ; David Warner, 1876 ;t James E.
Dutcher, 1876 ; Sylvester H. Mase, 1879.
County Clerks. — During the colonial period the
County Clerk was constituted by his commission.
Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas, Clerk of the
Peace and Clerk of the Sessions of the Peace in
his county. Under the First Constitution it was
his duty to keep the county records, and act as
Clerk of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas, and
Clerk of the Oyer and Terminer from Feb. 12,
1796. His seals were the seals of the Court of
Common Pleas. County Clerks are now likewise
Clerks of the Supreme Court in their respective
counties, and their seals are declared to be the
seals of the court. The term of office, since the
adoption of the Constitution of 182 1, has been
three years.
The office in this county has been filled succes-
sively by Richard Sackett, appointed in 1715;
Henry Vanderburgh, 1721; Henry Livingston,
Sept. 15, 1742, and May 8, 1777 ; Robert Henry
Livingston, May 11, 1789; Gilbert Livingston,
Nov. 9, 1804; David Brooks, June 5, 1807 ; Philip
Spencer, Jr., Jan. 26, 1809 ; David Brooks, Feb.
9, 1810; Philip Spencer, Jr., Feb. 15, 1811 ; David
Brooks, Feb. 23, 1813 ; Philip Spencer, Feb. 13.
1815 ; Jacob Van Ness, July i, 1815 ; John Van
Benthuysen, March 2, 1819 ; John Johnston, Feb-
ruary 4, 1820; Jacob Van Ness, Feb. 14, 182 1,
and elected in November, 1822 ;% Clapp Raymond,
1825 ; Henry S. Traver, 1828; Daniel W. Beadle,
* Griffin's successors were elected in November.
t Appointed March 7, 1876, vice Halstead, deceased.
t The successors of Van Ness were elected in November.
1837 ; Robert Mitchell, 1840 ; Joseph T. Adriance,
1846; George H. Tompkins, 1852; Wilson B.
Sheldon, 1858; Edgar Vincent, 1864; John W.
Vincent, 1870; Andrew C. Warren, 1873 ; William
A. Fanning, 1876; Wilson B. Sheldon, 1879.
County Treasurers are elected under the Consti-
tution of 1846, for a term of three years. They
were previously elected by the Boards of Supervis-
ors in the several counties. The incumbents of
the office in this county, all of whom were elected
in November, have been: Albert Van Kleeck,
1848; Leonard B. Sackett, 1851 ; James H. Sea-
man, 1854 ; John F. Hull, i860 ; Joseph C. Harris,
1866 ; Walter S. Fonda, 1869; Frederick W. Davis,
1875; Seneca V. Halloway, 1878.
County Superintendents of Common Schools. —
April 17, 1843, the Boards of Supervisors were
directed to appoint Superintendents of Common
Schools, and Augustus R. McCord and Henry H.
Ingraham were accordingly so appointed for the
Northern District in Duchess county, and Asa S.
Clement and Levi S. Arnold, for the Southern Dis-
trict. The office was abolished March 13, 1847.
School Commissioners. — Prior to 1857, School
Commissioners were appointed by the Board of
Supervisors. In 1856 the office was made elective ;
and the first election under that act was held in
November, 1859. The office has been held in
Duchess county by the following named persons :
John W. Vincent, John S. Thorn, Augustus A.
Brush, George W. Draper, Derrick Brown, George
W. Draper, John F. Schlosser, in the First Dis-
trict ; John Dearin, Charles J. Howland, Wright
D. Lattin, Sherman Hoyt, Isaac F. ColUns, Edgar
A. Briggs and Martin W. Collins, in the Second
District ; WiUiam Berry and E. J. Buckingham,
Presidents of the Board of Education ; G. C.
Burnap, City Superintendent; Richard Brittan
and C. H. Andrews, Clerks of the Board of Edu-
cation ; and Edward Burgess, City Superintendent,
in Poughkeepsie.
Presidential Electors. — The Federal Constitu-
tion provides that the President and Vice-Presi-
dent of the United States shall be chosen by
Electors appointed in such manner as the Legis-
latures of the respective States shall direct, the
number to be equal to the number of their
Senators and Representatives in Congress. In
this State the Electors were originally appointed
by the Legislature, pursuant to an act passed
April 12, 1792. March 15, 1825, the Legislature
submitted to the people the question of choosing
electors by districts, or on a general ticket, and it
128
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
was decided by a small majority in favor of the
former. The system thus adopted, however, was
in vogue at one election only; for April 15, 1829,
the Legislature adopted the general ticket system
now in use. The Electors must be appointed with-
in thirty-four days before the first Wednesday of
December, in every fourth year ; and in this State,
as, indeed, in all the States, they are now chosen
on the Tuesday after the first Monday of Novem-
ber. In making up the general ticket, one person
is selected from each Congressional district, and
two to represent the State at large. The Electoral
College is required to meet at the State capitol on
the first Wednesday of December, cast their votes
for President and Vice-President, make a certified
list thereof, and forward it under seal to the Presi-
dent of the United States Senate, who opens and
announces the result in the presence of the two
houses of Congress.
Duchess county has been represented in the
Electoral College as follows : — David VanNess,
1792; Peter Cantine, Jr., 1796; Gilbert Livings-
ton, 1 800 ; Ezra Thompson, 1 804 ; James Tall-
madge, 1808; David VanNess, 1812; Theodorus
W. VanWyck, 1816; Isaac Sutherland, 1824;
Morgan Lewis, 1828; William Taber, 1832;
James Hooker, 1836 j Bartow White, 1840 ; John
C. Cruger, 1848; Jacob B. Carpenter, i860.*
Senators and Representatives in Congress.
Duchess county has undergone several changes in
its Congressional associations. The State Legis-
lature chooses two Senators to the Federal Con-
gress, who hold their office for six years. A Sena-
tor must be an inhabitant of the State from which
he is chosen. He must have been nine years a citi-
zen of the United States, and attained the age of
thirty-five years. The House of Representatives
is composed of members elected by districts. Rep-
resentatives hold office for two years. They must
reside in the State which they are chosen to repre-
sent, must have been seven years citizens of the
United States, and have attained the age of twen-
ty-five years. After each United States census,
which is taken every ten years, Congress apportions
the Representatives among the several States. Un-
der the act of Jan. 27, 1789, Duchess was united
with the towns of Salem, North Salem, Cortlandt,
Yorktown and Stephentown in Westchester county,'
in forming a Congressional district. Under the
acts of December 18, 1792, March 23, 1797
March 30, 1802, March 20, 1804, and March
* J^es Holdane was elected in .S76, but did not attend. Alexander
Orr, of Brooklyn, was elected to fill the vacancy.
8, 1808, this county formed a separate district,
designated by number under each respective
apportionment, (except the first, when the dis-
tricts were not numbered,) 5, 6, 6, 4; June 10,
18 1 2, this county, (except the towns of Clinton
and Rhinebeck, which ^tr& associated with Col-
umbia county, in forming the sth district,) and
Putnam, formed the 4th district; under the acts of
April 17, 1822, and June 29, 1832, it again formed
a separate district, designated the sth. September
6, 1842, it was associated with Putnam county in
forming the Sth district; July 19, 1851, and April
23, 1862, in conjunction with Columbia county, it
formed the 12th district. June 18, 1873, Colum-
bia, Duchess and Putnam counties were consti-
tuted the 13th district.
Duchess County has been represented in the
United States Senate by John Armstrong, of Rhine-
beck, who was appointed November 6, 1800, and
at the expiration of his term, March 3, 1801, was
(January 27, 1801,) appointed to a full term, but
resigned February 5, 1802; Theodorus Bailey, of
Poughkeepsie, who was appointed February i,
1803; Nathaniel P. Tallmadge, of Poughkeepsie,
who was appointed February 5, 1833, and re-ap-
pointed January 13, 1840.
John Armstrong was again appointed by the
Governor in the recess of the Legislature in De-
cember, 1803, and again February 3, 1804, on the
resignation of Theodorus Bailey, but the position
was each time vacated by the meeting of the Leg-
islature, (U. S. Constitution, art. i, sec. 3, II.)
The Representatives in Congress from Duchess
County have been : Egbert Benson, of Red Hook,
1789-1793, i8i3-'is, (resigned;) Theodorus
Bailey, of Poughkeepsie, 1793-1797, 1799-1803,
(elected in November, 1801, in place of Thomas
Tillottson, of Red Hook, who did not attend ;)
David Brooks, 1797-99; Isaac Bloom, of Red
Hook, 1803, (died in 1803;) Daniel C. Ver-
planck, of Fishkill, 1803-1809, (elected Oct. 8,
1803, vice Bloom, deceased;) James Emott, of
Poughkeepsie, 1809-1813; Thomas J. Oakley, of
Poughikeepsie, i8i3-'is, i827-'28, (resigned May
9, 1 82 8, having accepted the office of Judge 1) Abra-
ham H. Schenck, of Fishkill, i8is-'i7; James
Tallmadge, Jr., of Poughkeepsie, 181 7-' 19, (elect-
ed in June, 1817, vice Henry B. Lee, of Putnam
county, deceased;) Randall S.- Street, of Pough-
keepsie, i8i9-'2i ; William W. VanWyck, of Fish-
kill, i82i-'2S ; Bartow White, of Fishlill, 1825-
'27; Thomas Taber, of Dover, 1827-29, (resigned
Feb. 6, 1829;) Abraham Bockee, of Federal Store,
MILITARY HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
I2g
1829-31, 1833-37 ; Edmund H. Pendleton, of
Hyde Park, 1831-33; Obadiah Titus, 1837-39;
Charles Johnson, of Poughkeepsie, 1839-41 ;
Richard D. Davis, of Poughkeepsie, 1841-45 ;
William W. Woodruff, of Hyde Park, 1845-' 47;
Gilbert Dean, of Poughkeepsie, 1851-54, (resigned
in July, 1854;) James Teller, of Matteawan,
1854-55, (elected in November, 1854, »w Gilbert
Dean, resigned ;) John Thompson, of Poughkeep-
sie, 1857-59; Stephen Baker, of Poughkeepsie,
i86i-'63; Homer A. Nelson, of Poughkeepsie,
1863-65 ; John H. Ketcham, of Dover Plains,
1865-73, 1877-83 ; John O. Whitehouse, of
Poughkeepsie, 1873-77.
CHAPTER XIV.
Military History of Duchess County — French
AND English Colonial Wars — War of the
Revolution — Military Organizations in
Duchess — Provincial Congress — Measures
FOR the Formation of a State Government
— Continental Ship Yard at Poughkeepsie
— Chain Across the Hudson — Sir Hen-
ry Clinton's Expedition up the Hudson
— Reduction of Forts Clinton and Mont-
gomery— Gen. Vaughn Destroys Kingston —
His Operations in Duchess County — The
Duchess Invincibles — Surrender of Bur-
GOYNE AND MaRCH OF HIS ArMY ThROUGH
Duchess County as Prisoners of War — Fish-
kill A Depot of Supplies for the Continen-
tal Army — Historic Associations of J'ish-
KiLL — Enoch Crosby— Revolutionary Inci-
dents IN Pawling — Adoption of the State
Constitution — Printed in Fishkill — State
Government removed to Poughkeepsie —
Tories Attempt the Seizure of Notable
Men — Articles of Confederation Ratified
by the Legislature in Poughkeepsie — The
Convention to Consider the Revised Fed-
eral Constitution Meet in Poughkeepsie —
War of 1812.
THERE is little of interest in the military his-
tory of Duchess County previous to the
Revolution. Her citizens were, indeed, called on
to render military services, but her borders were
not the theater of active operations. In 1696,
when the settlements of the county must have been
very sparse, the daring incursions of the French
and Indians in the war then waging, called forth
the following action on the part of the New York
Government : —
'' Resolved for the future, th.zX Six pounds shall
be given to each Christian or Indian as a Reward
who shall kill a fifrench man or Indian Enemy—
within three miles of Albany or any other Settled
farme in Albany, Ulster or Dutchesse Countyes."
A printed proclamation to that effect was issued
May 1 1, 1696.* Nov. 9, 1696, Gov. Fletcher, refer-
ring to an anticipated attack of French and Indians
on Albany that winter, speaks hopefully of his
ability to successfully resist such invasion with the
forces he then had and such as he might be able to
draw from Ulster and Duchess counties in case of
alarm.f From 1744 to 1748, the French and En-
gUsh were again at war, and,;like all their wars from
the commencement of American colonization, the
colonists of these respective nations in the western
hemisphere were involved in these hostilities. May
30, 1746, Gov. Clinton laid before the Council a
letter from Col. Beekman, relating to the raising of
men in Duchess County, and was advised by that
body to engage 200 men, and recommend the As-
sembly to provide ammunition, pay and subsistence
for them.f During the war from 1755 to 1763,
which terminated French dominion in Canada, the
services of the citizens of Duchess county were
again called into requisition. The surrender of
the forts at Oswego to a French force under Gen.
Montcalm, August 14, 1756, induced Gov. Hardy
to call out all the militia of Duchess and Ulster
counties, who were dispatched to Albany to co-
operate with Lord Loudon, who, a little later that
year marched an army through the county en route
to Lake George. He traversed the old post road,
which is said to have been opened by his direction.
About the same time a detachment of Connecticut
militia crossed the towns of Dover and Amenia
to re-enforce his army in the North.§
These French and Indian wars, especially the
later ones, were not without significance and import-
ance. They were the school in which were trained
many who were destined to take a prominent part
in the struggle then impending for colonial inde-
pendence ; for in March, 1764, the year following
the treaty of Paris, which ceded Canada to the
English, and put an end to PYench domination on
this continent, the odious stamp act was passed,
and though it was repealed two years later,
(March 18, 1766,) in response to the petition of a
* Col. Hist, IV, ISO.
t Ibid, 24 !•
X Ibid VI., 550.
§ Col. Hist. VII., 124, 199.
130
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
Congress in which nine of the thirteen Colonies
were represented, the intense feeling of indigna-
tion and hostility it aroused was only partially al-
layed. The seed of American independence had
been sown in fruitful soil, and the continued acts
of oppression by the English government only
brought it to an earlier maturity. When, on the
igth of April, 1775, the first mart)frs to the cause
of Liberty surrendered their lives on the common
at Lexington, the impulses which had long been
repressed in the breasts of the patriots burst into
activity, and the flame then kindled burned with
increasing brightness until American independence
was accomplished.
The desire for independence was by no means a
unanimous sentiment. In Duchess county, but
not more than in other localities, a large and re-
spectable minority opposed it.* The line between
the Whig and Tory elements was sharply drawn,
and collisions between them were of frequent oc-
currence. In the summer of 1776, this county
was the scene of an insurrection against the au-
thority of the Provincial Congress, but it was soon
suppressed, not, however, without the aid of the
militia from Connecticut. Many arrests were
made, more than enough to fill the jail at Pough-
keepsie, so that some of the offenders were sent to
the jail in the adjoining county of Litchfield.
In March, i77S,t a few Whigs met at the house
of John Bailey, about three miles from Poughkeep-
sie, and erected a liberty pole, with a flag, on one
side of which was inscribed the words, " The
King," and on the other, " The Congress and Lib-
erty." The sheriff of the county, attended by a
judge of the inferior court, two justices, a con-
stable, and some other Tories, cut down the pole
" as a public nuisance." A furious altercation af-
terwards took place between the sheriff and Hon.
Zephaniah Piatt, who was one of the party that
raised the pole. The sheriff accused him of trea-
son and threatened to arrest him, but Piatt seized
a club and declared he would knock his brains out
if he touched him. The sheriff drew -his sword,
but finally withdrew without attempting the arrest.
* The lists of those who signed or refused to sign the articles of asso-
ciation show a radical difference in the views even of members of the
same family, and in some of the Precincts almost an equal division. For
instance ; In Rhinebeck Prednct, of 480 freeholders and inhabitants
z62 signed and lis refused; in Rombout Precinct, of 762 persons, joi
signed and 260 refused ; in Beekman Precinct, of 386 persons 257
signed and 13S refused; in Poughkeepsie Precinct, of 295 persons 21!
signed and 82 refused. '
t Benson J. Lossing's Sketches of Local History, in The Dutchess
Farmer of Dec. 12, .876, to which, and to other documents kindly furn-
ished by that gentleman, we are largely indebted for the materials of this
chapter. A writer in the Poughkeepsie Weekly Eagle of July 8 1876
makes the date of this event, July, 1775,
The following year, when Burgoyne was making
his victorious march toward the valley of the Hud-
son, the Tories of Duchess became bold, and de-
fied the militia guard which had been established.
About four hundred of them, well armed, assem-
bled at " Carpenter's," now Washington Hollow,
and threatened destruction to all the Whigs in the
neighborhood. An expedition was immediately
set on foot in Sharon, Conn., to break up the gang.
A strong party of armed volunteers gathered at
Bloom's Mills, north of Washington Hollow, and
early in the morning marched to the latter place,
where they found the Tories paraded in a meadow.
Marching up with spirit, the volunteers fired on
the insurgents, who broke and fled. Thirty or
forty of them were captured and taken first to
Connecticut and afterward to New Hampshire,
where they were confined for about two years.
About the same time seven Tories were committed
to the jail at Poughkeepsie for robbing several
houses. They were all painted and dressed hke
Indian men, but it was found that five of them
were women— three of them a mother and her two
daughters.
Numerous minor affairs, some of them resulting
in loss of life, occurred in various parts of the
county, and thefts and other acts of violence by
Tories continually disturbed the Whig families of
the county. Individuals persisted in their hostility,
or were pronounced in their loyalty to the King,
and June 30, 1778, the sentence of banishment
was pronounced by a committee of the Provincial
Congress of New York, appointed to " detect con-
spiracies," against the following residents of Duch-
ess county : William Smith, James Smith, Cofael-
ius Luyster, Dirck Van Vliet, John Terrill, James
Scott, Theophilus Nelson, Richard Wilhams,
Lodowick Strydt, Samuel Mabbett, Agrippa Martin,
Myndert Velie, Zebulon Walbridge, Joseph Zeed,
William Brady, Joseph Mabbett and Benjamin
Lapham.
Pending the earnest efforts of the several colo-
nies to bring about a reconciliation with the mother-
country, and at the same time to enforce a recog-
nition of their rights by Pariiament, a general
congress, suggested by New York statesmen and
called by Boston, was formed by the colonies to
secure concert of action. Feb. 23, 1775, "the
Tory Assembly of New York" declined to send
delegates to the second Continental Congress. In
March of that year, the " Committee of Sixty,"
composed of inhabitants of the city and county of
New York, and charged with the duty of " carrying
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
131
into execution the Association entered into by the
Continental Congress," issued a call to the several
counties throughout the Province, to elect deputies
to a Provincial Convention, to be held in New
York City, April 20, 1775, for the purpose of
choosing delegates to represent the colony in that
Congress. That body met at the time appointed
at the Exchange in New York City. Duchess
county was represented in its deUberations by Eg-
bert Benson, Morris Graham and Robert R.
Livingston, the latter of whom was a member of
the last General Assembly. It elected delegates
to the Continental Congress, " to concert and de-
termine upon such measures as should be judged
most effectual for the preservation and re-estab-
lishment of American rights and privileges, and for
the restoration of harmony between Great Britain
and her colonies."
. The convention dissolved on the 22d of April,
and the following day (Sunday) the news of the
battle of Lexington reached the city, producing
great excitement and indignation. The " Com-
mittee of Sixty " was increased to a " Committee
of One Hundred," which " resolved to stand or fall
with the liberty of the Continent."
April 29, 1775, ten days after the battle of Lex-
ington, a large gathering of " the freemen, freeholders
and inhabitants of the city and county of New
York," met and formulated the following pledge,
which was circulated in the several counties for
signatures : —
" Persuaded that the salvation of the rights and
liberties of America depend, under God, on the
firm union of its inhabitants in a vigorous prosecu-
tion of the measures necessary for its safety ; and
convinced of the necessity of preventing anarchy
and confusion, which attend a dissolution of the
powers of government, we, the freemen, freehold-
ers, and inhabitants of , being greatly
alarmed at the avowed design of the ministry to
raise a revenue in America, and shocked by the
bloody scenes now acting in Massachusetts Bay,
do, in the most solemn manner, resolve never to
become slaves, and do associate, under all the ties
of religion, honor and love to our country, to adopt
and endeavor to carry into execution, whatever
measures may be recommended by the Continental
Congress, or resolved upon by our Provincial Con-
vention, for the purpose of preserving our con-
stitution, and opposing the execution of the
several arbitrary and oppressive acts of the British
Parliament, until a reconciliation between Great
Britain and America, on constitutional principles,
(which we most ardently desire,) can be obtained;
and that we will in all things follow the advice of
our General Committee, respecting the purposes
aforesaid, the preservation of peace and good order,
and the safety of individuals and private property."
This pledge was approved and signed by the mem-
bers of the Provincial Congress, and placed in the
hands of committees to circulate through the coun-
ties. It was signed by 1,820 persons, in Duchess
county J 964 refused to sign it. Some who signed
qualified their signatures by certain restrictions.
The names of those who signed, as well as those
who refused to do so, are preserved, but we have
not the space to reproduce them here.
This first Provincial Congress. began at once tc
devise measures for the general safety. The rais-
ing of men and munitions was authorized. County
Committees of Safety were appointed, and Egbert
Benson, of Red Hook, was made chairman of the
committee for this district. Precinct committees
were also formed, and disaffected parties were
brought under a strict surveillance. Warrants
authorizing the recruiting of men in Duchess
county were issued June 28, 1775, to Captains
Henry B. Livingston, Louis Dubois, Andrew Bil-
lings and Rufus Herrick ; to First Lieutenants
Jacob Thomas, Ehas Van Benschoten, Jr., Ezekiel
Cooper and Charles Graham, and to Second Lieu-
tenants Roswel Wilcox, Cornelius Adriance, John
Langdon and Jesse Thompson. In September,
1775, commissions were issued to the officers of
nine companies in Charlotte Precinct, seven in
Rombout Precinct, five in Rhinebeck Precinct,
four each in Beekman and Amenia Precincts, and
one in South East Precinct. Oct. 17, 1775, com-
missions were issued to the officers of seven
regiments in Duchess county, including two of
minute men.
August 18, 1775, the County Committee re-
solved to furnish a sufficient guard to the commit-
tee in each Precinct, for the purpose of visiting the
Tories in the county, who were to be requested in
a friendly manner to surrender their firelocks for
the use of the Continental forces, at a reasonable
price, to be affixed by one of the committee and a
person selected by the individual so surrendering
it. In case of disagreement, an appraisement was
to be made by a person selected by these two ;
and in case of refusal, such firelocks were to be
taken forcibly, and a Ust of the names of persons
from whom they were taken, with their value at-
tached, was to be preserved. A considerable num-
ber of guns were thus obtained for the use of the
army.
July 8, 1775, the first Provincial Congress hav-
ing resolved to adjourn, certain of its members were
appointed a Committee of Safety, charged with the
general supervision of the affairs of the Province
132
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
when the Congress was not in session. The sec-
ond and third Congresses also met in New York
City, the former Nov. 14, 1775, and the latter
May 14, 1776. The Congress, though deriving its
authority from the people, was a revolutionary
body, and owed its existence to the exigencies of
the times. At its third session, in conformity with
the spirit of a resolution adopted by the Conti-
nental Congress May 15, 1776, measures were first
introduced for the formation of an adequate gov-
ernment. A motion to appoint a committee to
devise a plan for this purpose met with strenuous
opposition from Hhose, who, jealous of every as-
sumption of power, affirmed that that body was not
delegated with such powers. Hence the subject
was referred to a committee, who reported on the
27th of May, "that the right of framing, creating
or remodeling of civil governments is, and ought
to be, in the people," and recommended that, in-
asmuch as doubts existed relative to the powers of
that Congress in the premises, a newCongress be
elected by the people, specially instructed upon
the question of a new government. The old gov-
ernment was declared to be dissolved, the royal
governor having taken refuge under the guns of
the British fleet. "This report," says Hon.
Chauncey M. Depew, in an address delivered at
the Kingston Centennial, in 1877, "is remarkable
as the earUest, clearest, and most emphatic declar-
ation of the doctrine of popular sovereignty." On
the 31st of May, in consonance with the report of
the committee, resolutions were adopted calling on
the people to elect a new body empowered to
form a new government, and instructed also upon
the question of united colonial independence.
In the meantime the seat of war was transferred
to New York. On the 25th of June, the British
fleet and army under Lord Howe, arriyed off Sandy
Hook, and on the 30th, the Congress, apprehen-
sive of an attack, resolved that the next Congress
should meet at White Plains, and adjourned. The
newly elected delegates met at the court house in
that village July 9, 1776,* and on the forenoon of
that day, a letter inclosing the Declaration of In-
dependence, which had been adopted by the Con-
tinental Congress on the 4th, was received from
New York's delegates in that body. On the after-
noon of the same day, this newly created body,
with a marvelous heroism, while lamenting the
" cruel necessity," concurred in that Declaration,
and instructed their delegates in the Continental
m —
•Duchess county's delegates to this and other Congresses have been
named in the Civil List, seep. 124.
Congress to support the same, and give their
united aid to all measures necessary to attain its
object. This was an act which, if the issue was
successful, would crown them as patriots, but
which, if a failure, would stamp them as traitors
and felons. The following day, July loth, the
Congress assumed the name of the " Convention
of Representatives of the State of New York."
On the afternoon of the loth the Convention
resolved to enter upon the formation of a new
government on the i6th, but by that time the'
situation of affairs had become too alarming for
deliberation. Washington was contemplating the
abandonment of New York. British ships of war
were anchored off" Tarrytown, within six miles of
where they were then sitting. Their whole atten-
tion was occupied in raising troops and supplies
and providing for the public welfare. In the
meantime they ordained that all civil officers well
affected toward independence continue the ex-
ercise of their duties until further ordered, except
that all processes thereafter must issue in the name
of the State of New York. It was declared to be
treason, and punishable with death, for any one
living within the State, and enjoying the protection
of its laws, to adhere to the cause of the King of
Great Britain, or levy war against the State in his
behalf.
On the 27th of July, the Convention found it
necessary to move to Harlem. From Harlem the
Convention removed to King's Bridge, thence to
Odell's, in Philipse's Manor, and from thence Aug-
ust 29, 1776, to Fishkill, where "they supplied
themselves with arms and ammunition, and there-
after legislated with their swords by their sidesj lit-
erally building the peaceful fabric of constitutional
government in the very presence of the alarms, the
perils, and the carnage of war."
At Fishkill the Convention first met in the Epis-
copal church, September sth,but that building was
not in a fit condition to be occupied, being, so the
chronicles say, "very foul with dung of birds and
fowls, without any benches, seats, or conveniences
whatever." They therefore removed to the Dutch
church, which is still standing. Here sessions were
held at intervals till Feb. ii, 1777, when they ad-
journed to Kingston, where the final session was
begun on the 6th of March.
During this time, from July 11, 1775, to March
S, 1777, the government was often confided to
the Committee of Safety owing to the extreme
difficulty of keeping so large a body together at this
critical period, and from Sept. 2, 1776, to Feb. 14,
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
133
1777, this committee, at intervals, held its sessions
at Fishkill.
Nathaniel Sackett, who was born and received
his education in Orange county, but was then a
resident of Fishkill, was secretary of the commit-
tee, and Jan. 3, 1777, was authorized by that body
"to employ such detachments of the militia of
Duchess county as are not in actual service, as he
may deem expedient," " for inquiring into, detect-
ing and defeating all conspiracies which may be
found, * * * against the Liberties of America."*
In i775i Poughkeepsie was selected as one of
the places where vessels for the Continental navy
were to be built; and on the 7th of March, 1776,
workmen and materials were conveyed to that
place by sloop from New York, the navigation of
the lower Hudson being then .uninterrupted by
ice. Before the middle of that month, a sloop
came down from Albany, laden with lumber from
the mills of Gen. Schuyler at Saratoga, for the
ship yard at Poughkeepsie, which was in the lo-
cality of Southwick's tannery, near the lower land-
ing. There in 1776, the frigates Congress and
Montgomery, the former of twenty-eight, and the
latter of twenty-four guns, were built, launched
and equipped, under the supervision of Captains
Lawrence and Tudor. They are said to have been
staunch vessels and of good model ; but they
never got to sea, as the British held the mouth of
the river from the time they were built till 1783.
They were wintered at the mouth of Rondout
Creek; and are supposed to have been burned
in 1777, to prevent their falling into the hands of
the enemy when Sir Henry Clinton took the forts
in the highlands. One or two fire-ships with
fire-arrows were fitted out here by Capt. Hazel-
wood in the summer of i776.t Robert R. Living-
ston, in a letter to John Jay, under date of May
21, 1776, urged the importance of building here
" fourteen or fifteen hght boats, capable of carry-
ing a twelve-pounder, to secure Hudson River,
which," he said, " is to be the chief scene of ac-
tion."t
Stedman, the English historian, mentions the
fact that two frigates, two galleys and an armed
sloop belonging to the Americans, lay at anchor
under the guns of Forts Montgomery and Clinton,
when those works were taken by the forces under
* Fishkill in the Revohitian, by J. Hervey Coolc, in the Fishkill
Standard oi April 12. 1876.
+ Contribution from Benson J. Lossing to the Poughkeepsie Weekly
Eagle of Feb. 26, 1876, and Sketches of Local History, by the same
mthor, m The jDutchess Farmer o(X>ec.JZ, 1876. Local Reminiscences
in The Sunday Courier, of Poughkeepsie, April zo, 1873.
t Clarkson's Clermont, or Livingston Manor, 87.
Sir Henry Clinton, Oct. 6, 1777, and, being unable
to escape by reason of adverse winds, were fired
by their crews.
July 25, 1776, a secret committee of the Con-
vention met at Poughkeepsie and ordered the
building of a boom and chain across the Hudson
at Fort Montgomery, to prevent vessels from the
British fleet ascending the river. The greater por-
tion of that chain was brought down from Ticon-
deroga ; the remainder was wrought by Theophilus
Anthony, a blacksmith, whose shop was at Milton
Ferry, about four miles below Poughkeepsie,
(where he also. carried on farming and milling;)
now the " Spring brook '' property of his descend-
ants, the Gill family. For these services the prop-
erty of this staunch Whig was destroyed by the
British expedition which burned Kingston in the
fall of 1 7 7 7,which was piloted up the river by a Duch-
ess county Tory, who lived at Barnegat, (Clinton
Point,) and knew all the Whigs in this locality.*
This chain was stretched from the mouth of
Poplopen Kill to Anthony's nose, a lofty projecting
rocky eminence, tunnelled by the Hudson River
Railroad. It was 1,800 feet long, weighed, says
Stedman, over 50 tons, and is supposed to have
cost about jQ<iO,ooo. Its links were about 2-^
inches square. It was buoyed up by heavy spars,
connected by ironUnks, and also by large rafts of
timber. The additional obstructions at this point,
which were not completed till the fall of 1777, con-
sisted of a boom and chevaux defrise, which so ob-
structed the current of the river, (here very strong,)
that the water was raised two or three feet above
them and pressed upon them heavily. Twice the
chain was parted by this pressure : — first, a swivel,
which came from Ticonderoga, was broken ; and,
the second time, a clevis, which was made at
Poughkeepsie, gave way.f
A second chain was stretched across the Hud-
son at West Point, May i, 1778, aportion of which
is preserved in the Artillery Laboratory at West
Point. The links are made of iron bars, 2^ inches
square; average in length a little over two feet, and
weigh about 140 pounds each. The chain was
stretched across the river at the narrowest point,
between the rocks just below the steamboat land-
ing and Constitution Island, opposite. It was
fastened to huge blocks on each shore, and buoyed
* Sketches of Local History, by Benson J. Lossing, in The Dutchess
Farmer, Dec. 12, 1S76; and the Poughkeepsie Weekly Eagle, July 8,
1876.
fLossing's Pictorial Field Book of the Revolution, I, 732 ; Clinton
on the Hudson, by Anclwr, (J. Watts de Peyster, of Tivoli,) in ?■&
New York Times, Sept. 3°. '877.
134
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
by large logs, about i6 feet long, pointed at the
ends, to lessen their opposition to the current at
flood and ebb tide. Anchors, to which it was
fastened by means of cables, were dropped at
proper distances, to give it greater stability.
The following letter, which appears in the Fish-
kill Standard oi 1876, shows how great were the
hopes based on this obstruction, which, however,
was no formidable obstacle to the progress of the
British fleet after the fall of Forts Chnton and
Montgomery: —
FiSHKiLL, Sept'r nth, 1776.
Sir : — It is conceived highly necessary that the
Iron Chain should be immediately dispatched. If
it is finished, pray send it down to, the Fort with-
out delay. If it is not finished, let no time be lost,
and in the interim give us the earliest particular ac-
count of its present state, and when it will prob-
ably be finished.
" I am, sir, your very hum. servt.,
" Wm. Yates, Jun.
" To Gilbert Livingston, Esq., Po'keepsie."
A few years since a three-pointed caltrop was
found in the locality of Anthony's forge.
In the fall of 1776, Washington's army was
driven from New York by the forces under I.,ord
Howe, and withdrawn from the east side of the
Hudson into New Jersey. The command of the
forts in the Highlands was devolved on George
Clinton, who was afterwards elected the first Gov-
ernor of the State. The term of enlistment of the
militia under his command had expired, and ap-
prehension was felt that the enemy meditated an
attack on the Highland passes. In response to
Washington's appeal to the State to meet this
emergency with a temporary supply, Dec. 21,
1776, the Convention, then in session at Fishkill,
• ordered the entire militia force of the counties of
Westchester and Duchess and part of Albany, to
be marched forthwith to North Castle, in the
former county, " well equipped with arms and am-
munition, and furnished with six days' provisions,
and blankets, and a pot or camp kettle to every
six men." Exemption was, however, granted to
such persons as the field oflicers judged could not
" be called into service without greatly distressing
their families," or who were " actually engaged in
the manufacture of saltpetre, or of shoes and cloth-
ing for the army." The militia were to be allowed
Continental pay and rations, and such as could not
provide themselves with arms were to be supplied
from the public stores.
In 1777, Gen. Burgoyne was struggling, first
,with Gen. Schuyler, and subsequently with Gen.
Gates, for the supremacy of the Upper Hudson
and, in spite of the unhappy jealousy and strife
between the latter generals, which seriously weak-
ened the American array in that quarter, was
checked, and finally overwhelmed with disaster on
the fields of Saratoga. Oct. 4, 1777, Sir Henry
Clinton, then in command of the British forces in
New York, started a force, "variously estimated at
3,000 to 3,600, and 4,000 regulars and loyal organ-
izations," up the Hudson ; but whether designed to
co-operate with Burgoyne, or, merely, by a diver-
sion in his favor, to facilitate his operations, is a
mooted question. Certain it is that Burgoyne
counted on his support and co-operation ;* but
whether Clinton so intended is not so certain,
though Dunlap says this was his obvious intention.
If he did, his failure to take advantage of his suc-
cesses was as inexcusable as inexpUcable.t
The defense of the Hudson was entrusted to the
inefficient Major General Israel Putnam, whom the
great Massachusetts historian pronounced " unfit
to be a General officer." His jurisdiction extended
from King's Bridge to Albany. " Although having
guard-boats all along the river and spies on the
alert in every direction," says Gen. de Peyster,
"the British Chnton completely outwitted him;
made him believe that he was about to turn his
position by the practicable passes through the
eastern Highlands, then took advantage of a fog,
transferred his troops oyer to the western side of
the river, to Stony Point, made a wonderful march
across or rather around the Dunderberg Mountain,
and carried Fort Chnton and Fort Montgomery by
assault, performing the most brilliant British oper-
ation during the seven years' war."
Forts Chnton and Montgomery, the latter com-
manded by Admiral George Clinton, the first
Governor of the State of New York, and the for-
mer by his brother. Gen. James CUnton, were
taken on the 6th of October. *The garrison of
Fort Montgomery, according to Stedman, num-
bered 800 men; that of Fort Clinton, 400; though
Gordon and Irving agree in stating their united
force did not exceed 600, mostly militia. Gov-
ernor Chnton, having, according to Gen. Sir
Edward Cust, lost 100 in killed and 250 taken
prisoners, escaped with the remnant of his force
from the two forts under cover of night, and
placed himself in a position to watch the further
* Anburey's Travels in America^ /, 410, anr/ //, 30. WilkimtiH^s
Memoirs^ (Vol. I, p. 251.) furnishes copies of letters from Burgoyne to
Clinton showing this fact ; and the expectation of aid fror^| Clinton was
one of the determining conditions in Burgoyne's final surrender.
t Gen. J. Watts de Peyster, of Tivoli, contributed a very able re-
view of Clinton's expedition to The New York Times of September 30,
1877.
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
I3S
movements of the enemy and to aiford succor to
Esopus (Kmgston,) then the State capital. Other
forts had been constructed along the Hudson to
guard special interests, among them two at the
Wiccopee Pass, about four miles south of Fishkrll
village, (whose sites are yet plainly discernible,) to
guard that pass, and protect the military stores at
Fishkill. But these could offer no resistance to
the progress of the enemy up the river, after the
fall of Forts Clinton and Montgomery. Putnam,
whose force numbered, according to Botta, 600
regulars and an uncertain number of militia, re-
treated from Peekskill, where he was encamped, to
the stronger Highlands in his rear, before an insig-
nificant force sent by Sir Henry CUnton to conceal
the advance of his forces on the west side of the
river. On the 7th he wrote to Gates, then in
command of the Northern army opposed to Bur-
goyne : "I cannot prevent the enemy's advancing;
prepare for the worst ;" and on the 8th : " The
enemy can take a fair wind, and go to Albany or
Half Moon with great expedition and without any
opposition."
Sir Henry Clinton removed the obstructions for
the defense of the river on the 7th; but not until
the 13th (Botta, II, 26,) did he send up the__river
" a flying squadron of small frigates, under Sir
James Wallace, carrying a detachment of British
troops under Major Gen. Vaughan," while he,
himself, after garrisoning Fort Montgomery, re-
turned to New York. He had, however, on the
nth sent Sir James Wallace to reconnoiter the
river. That officer proceeded to within three
miles of Poughkeepsie, and having burned Van
Buren's mills and several buildings, also several old
vessels along the shore, returned in safety.* His
report determined the expedition under General
Vaughan ; for, says Stedman, the necessity of a di-
version in favor of Burgoyne was not even suspected.
On the 7 th of October, from New Windsor, Gov.
Clinton, after his narrow escape from capture at
Fort Montgomery, communicated the loss of the
Highland forts to the Legislature, then in session
at Esopus, and requested them to urge forward the
detachment of Duchess and Ulster county militia
from the army under Gen. Gates. Clinton removed
his personal effects from Little Britain to Esopus^
and his brother-in-law, Dr. Peter Tappen, removed
Mrs. Clinton and the family to Pleasant Valley, in
Duchess county, where they remained until the
marauders under Vaughan returned to New York.
*Zephaniah Piatt to the Council of Safety, dated Poughkeepsie, Oct.
12, 1777. Gates Papers,
The Legislature received information of the re-
duction of Forts Clinton and Montgomery on the
7th of October, and anticipating an advance upon
Esopus, took immediate steps to do what lay in
their power to promote the public weal. They
passed resolutions continuing the county and dis-
trict committees, as well as the commissioners for
. detecting conspiracies. They required the com-
mittee to lade all the vessels at the different land-
ings and other places along the river with flour,
wheat, or other provisions which was near the shore,
and send them to Albany ; to cause all cattle and
Hve stock near either side of the river, not required
for present use, to be removed into the interior, or,
in case persons refused to permit such removal, to
destroy them. They appointed a Council of Safe-
ty, consisting of William Floyd, Evert Baucker,
Egbert Benson, Daniel Dunscomb, Robert Harper,
Jonathan Landon, Levi Pawling, John Morin Scott,
Johannis Snyder, Peter Pray Van Zandt, Alexan-
der Webster, Wrn. B. Whiting and Abraham Yates,
Jr., any seven of whom were vested with the pow-
ers of government, to continue as long as the ne-
cessities of the State should require.* As the dan-
ger from the enemy seemed imminent, the public
records were ordered boxed, ready to be moved at
a moment's notice to Rochester, (Ulster Co.,)
which was designated as their repository. Vari-
ous other measures were taken for the public weal.
Clinton kept close watch of the movements of
Vaughan's forces up the river, and when it became
evident that Kingston was the objective point, he
set his small army in motion toward that village,
whither he preceded them, arriving at 9 oclock on
the night of the 15th of October. His army,
fatigued by a forced march, did not reach that
place until about two hours after it had been de-
stroyed by the British, but had it been at hand, it
was inadequate to successfully oppose them. Strenu-
ous efforts were made to save as much of the public
and private property as possible, but the British
moved with such celerity that much plunder fell
into their hands and was destroyed with the village.
They gained the landing on the i6th and marched
immediately up to Kingston, driving from their
hastily constructed earth-works on the river bank,
at the point of the bayonet^ about 150 miUtia,
commanded by Cols. Levi Pawhng and Johannis
Snyder. Kingston, which was then the third town
in size in the State, was destroyed on the i6th,
only one house escaping plunder and the torch.
t Journal Provincial Convention, I, io6l. This Council held its ses-
sions first at Kingston, next at Hurley, and finally at Poughkeepsie. It
continued from Oct. 8, 1777, to. Jan. 7, 1778, its first session in Pough-
keepsie being held Dec. 21, 1777.
136
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
Authors differ in regard to this date, some as-
signing to it the 13th, others, the 15th, others still, -
the i6th, and one, {The New American Encyclope-
dia,) the 17th. The researches of Hon. George
W. Pratt, embodied in a paper read before the
Ulster County Historical Society Oct. 16, i860,
have thrown light on this subject and shown pretty
conclusively that the i6th is the correct date. He
cites the following letter from Gov. Clinton to Gen.
Putnam, dated " Marbletown, seven miles from
Kingston, 17th October, i777-" "Kingston was
burnt yesterday afternoon because I had not troops
to defend it;" and the following draft of a letter
from the Council to the New York delegates in the
Continental Congress, referring to the movements
of Vaughan's troops. {Journal Provincial Conven-
tion, I., 1072;) * * * on the sixteenth, * * *
gained the Landing and * * * marched imme-
diately up to Kingston and reduced the whole
town to ashes." The New York Journal and the
General Advertiser of May 11, 1778, then pub-
lished at Poughkeepsie, states that Kingston was
destroyed on the i6th.
The advent of Sir Henry Clinton's forces up the
Hudson was anticipated in the early autumn and
occasioned much alarm to the people living adja-
cent to the river, but the dilatory moments of the
British commander had measurably allayed the
apprehensions thus awakened. They were revived,
however, when, on the 6th of October, the roar of
cannon was heard at Forts Clinton and Mont,
gomery, and when, on the night of the 7th, the
beacon lights on the northern summits of the High-
lands, flashed out the intelligence that those works
had succumbed to the enemy.
In the postscript to a letter from Brig. Gen.
James CUnton to his brother, the Governor, dated
Little Britain, Oct. 18, 1777, it is stated that Gen.
Parsons remained at Peekskill with about 2,000
men; that the militia regiments of Cols. Humphrey
and Brinkerhoof were left at Fishkill, and Col.
Piatt, with about 150 men, at Poughkeepsie.
The British, it would seem, did not delay their
progress up the river to commit depredations along
its shores until reaching the vicinity of Rondout
Kill. They did, nevertheless, fire a few shot and
shell in response to the firing from the shore, and
made targets of the dwellings of prominent Whigs,
which were pointed out by a Duchess county Tory,
who piloted them up the river. Several shells were
fired at a party who were standing on the porch of
one. of the old houses above the Fishkill Landing
Machine Works, arjd two of them were subse-
quently found in making excavations. One of
them went as far up as what is known as the Wm.
H. VanVoorhis place. Several shots were fired at
Poughkeepsie, where a vigorous fire was kept up
by the " Invincibles," who occupied the high
grounds south of Kaal Rock, and were concealed
from the enemy by a heavy growth of cedar. A
piece of ordnance, of about three pounds calibre,
was stationed in the ravine between that point and
Kaal Rock, and from this "battery" fire was
opened as soon as the first vessel of the enemy
came in range. " But a few shots from the English
silenced it, and sent the artillerymen flying up the
hill and beyond reach." " The Invincibles fired
a couple of volleys, but a shot or two from another
vessel of the fleet compelled them to 'lay low'
and cease firing. The enemy then passed on with-
out further molestation from our ' forces ' until they-
reached a point near the ferry slip. Here the
enemy again received a shot or two from another
small cannon which was stationed on the high
ground at that place, but without sustaining dam-
age." Firing was continued from the shore until
the fleet passed out of range of the high grounds
at the Upper Landing.* One shot from the enemj",
so we were told by the late Matthew Vassar, Jr.,
struck in the spring near the old Vassar brewery
on Vassar street. Another shot pierced the south
side of the old Livingston house, near the left door
jamb, and the orifice made through the shingle
(for the sides, as well as the roof of the house, are
covered with shingles,) is still discernible, though
another shingle has been inserted under the one
thus perforated to cover the hole made through
the walLf The Invincibles were commanded by
Capt. Jacobus Frear, some of whose descendants
are still living in Poughkeepsie.
* Local Reminiscences^ in The Sunday Cowr^V?- of Poughkeepsie,
June IS, 1873 ; Fishkill in the Revolution, by J. Hervey Cook, of Fish-
kill-on-the-Hudso'n, in the Fishkill Standard, March 4, 1876.
t This old house is one of tlie most interesting rehcs of Duchess
county, and is one of the oldest, if not the oldest building, standmg in
it. It is located on the river, between it and the Hudson River Rail-
road, a little more than a mile below the landing at the foot of Main
street. It was, says Lossing, (Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution,
Ii 384, 38s,) " the residence of the late Col. Henry A, Livingston, a
grand-son of Philip Livingston, one of the signers of the Declaration of
Independence, and son of the late John H. Livingston, D. D., president
of the College of New Brunswick. It was built by his paternal grand-
father, Henry Livingston, in 1714, and is a fine specimen of a country
mansion of that period." The situation was once delightful, completely
imbosomed in venerable willow trees, planted by the first owner, beside a
once beautiful cove, but whose beauty, like that of the mansion site, has
been iparred by the railroad, which passes within a few feet of the house,
and the works of the Hudson River Iron Manufacturing Company, to
whom the property now belongs. Col. Livingston, who ied June 9,
1849, will long be remembered in Poughkeepsie as one of its best
citizens. " Although Hving in the retirement of a gentleman of wealth
and leisure, he oflen consented to serve the public in offices requiring
judgment, industry and integrity."
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, THE "DUCHESS INVINCIBLES."
'37
The " Duchess Invincibles " were probably the
first uniformed militia company in Poughkeepsie.
The company was organized about 1775 and num-
bered nearly one hundred men. Their headquarters
were on what is now South Avenue, near Mr. Bur-
nap's residence. That portion of Poughkeepsie was
then known as " Freartown," from the fact that
about the whole of it was owned by the Frears.
The uniform of the Invincibles consisted of a bear
skin cap of peculiar shape, long frock coat made
of homespun cloth, trimmed with buff, and
pantaloons of the same material, with buff stripe
down the legs. They had no cartridge box, but
carried their ammunition in a pocket made of
leather which was fastened to the breast of the
coat.*
Gen. Vaughan, having effected the destruction
of Kingston, rapidly withdrew his forces to the
fleet, which remained at anchor on the night
of the i6th. On the 17th, (Friday,) a strong
detachment was landed on the east side of the
river and marched to Rhinebeck Flats, (now Rhine-
beck,) which, it is claimed, "was eminently a Whig
place during the Revolution." There several
houses were burned; "not those of the poorer
class, nor indiscriminately," says Gen. de Peyster,
" but of rich leaders who had made themselves ob-
noxious." One of these was the residence of the
lamented Gen. Montgomery before he assumed the
command which terminated in his death in an
assault on Quebec, Dec. 31, 1775- This detach-
ment made its way up the river as far as Living-
ston's Manor, and destroyed the mansion and other
houses. Red Hook did not escape the avenging
hand. The detachment disembarked at what was
formerly known as the Lower Tivoli Dock, and
burned the residences above Upper Red Hook
Landing, (now TivoU.) Thence they marched to
their work of destruction, some three miles further
north, along a path still constantly used within a
quarter of a century. They also destroyed Liv-
ingston's (?) Mills, in Red Hook, of which not a
vestige now remains. They consisted of a grist-
mill, very fine for the era in which it did its work,
and' a saw-mill which had an immense business.
They were located at the mouth of the Saw Kill,
which empties into the Hudson just north of what
is known as the "Montgomery Place" which was
built by the widow of the General from whom it
derives its name, after his death, and from 'whose
piazza, in 1818, she saw "her husband's remains
• Local RemmUcences, in The Smiday Courier, of Poughkeepsie,
June 8, 1873.
return with distinguished funeral honors from the
scenes of his heroic death and temporary burial,"
borne to their final resting place in New York
City.*
A letter dated Fishkill, Oct. 30, 1777, and pub-
Ushed in the Independent Chronicle, (Boston,) Nov.
6, 1777, attributes to the timely appearance of
Gen. Putnam the prevention of the further de-
struction of villages and property along the river.
It says : —
" Last Friday the fleet returned from their in-
glorious expedition up the North River, having
burnt Kingston, in Esopus, and a few houses at
Rhynebeck and Livingston's Manor. * * * Our
army, commanded by Gen. Putnam, coming up
with them, caused them to skulk on board
their vessels, and prevented their doing further
mischief ; the wind being light in their return,
which gave an opportunity to our army of march-
ing as fast as they sailed and was a happy circum-
stance in our favor, and prevented them from de-
stroying Poughkeepsie and other buildings on the
river side."
Mr. Lossing, the historian, in a contribution to
the Poughkeepsie Eagle of recent date, says that
at Livingston's Manor, Vaughan's forces heard of
the surrender of Burgoyne, " and fled in haste to
New York." Lamb's Journal, {^^. i72-'3>) says
" the advanced state of the season " compelled the
return.
Governor -Clinton concentrated his little force at
Hurley, and did not follow the enemy lest he might
be shut in between the Catskill Mountains and the
river, should the British land in force.
The British fleet lay opposite the northern part
of the county. " The armed vessel highest up the
river," says Gen. de Peyster, "lay just above the
' Lover's Leap '—a tall bluff covered with glorious
evergreens — about three-quarters of a mile north
of Tivoli Station. The rest were strung out south-
ward for over two miles." Here it lay till the 23d
of October, when, to the astonishment of the
American patrol on shore, it steered down, instead
of up, the river, and rejoined the forces in the
Highlands. This retrograde movement, adds Gen.
de Peyster, seemed to the Americans "to be ex-
plained three or four days after, when the news of
Burgoyne's surrender reached this locahty." It
was a serious disappointment to the " large body
of loyalists," who, says Lamb, " were forming at
this time on the eastern shore of the river to join
the royal army."
October 19th, the Council of Safety, which
disnersed at the burning of Kingston, met at Mar-
~ * Gen. J. Watts de Peyster. in The New York Times, Sept. 30, 1877.
138
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
bletown, and adopted the following preamble and
resolutions : —
" Whereas, The late destruction of the town of
Kingston, and a vast number of dwelling houses,
improvements, grain and fodder on either side of
Hudson's River, by a cruel, inhuman and merciless
enemy, has deprived many persons and famiUes,
the good subjects of the State, of shelter and sub-
sistence for themselves and their cattle — calamities
which, by the blessing of God on the fruits of this
land, those who have not shared in so uncommon
a misfortune are enabled in a great measure to
reUeve ;
" Resolved, Therefore, that it be, and it is hereby
most earnestly recommended to the several and re-
spective general and district committees of the
counties of Ulster, Dutchess, Orange and Westches-
ter, to make, or cause to be made, a proper and
proportionate distribution of the aforesaid dis-
tressed persons and families, and their cattle, to
the end that they may all be provided for as the
circumstances of the country will permit ; and it is
hereby most strenuously urged on all those who
may not have shared with them in their afflictions
to receive the aforesaid persons, famihes and cat-
tle, and furnish them with shelter and subsistence
at a moderate rate."
While Sir Henry CHnton's victorious army was
pushing its way up the Hudson and ravaging the
settlements upon its banks, the straitened army
of Burgoyne was engaged in the vain endeavor to
extricate itself from the toils with which the victo-
rious and increasing array of Gates had surrounded
it, and into which it had been lured in no small
measure by the delusive hope of succor from the
former. On the 17th of October, 1777, the day
following the destruction of Kingston, Burgoyne
surrendered his entire army. The melancholy fate
of this array has a local interest, for its route from
Cambridge, Mass., to Charlottesville, Va., where,
for a long time, it was kept as prisoners of war, was
through this county. After the surrender at Sara-
toga, it was marched to Cambridge, whence,
according to the second article of the convention
between Generals Burgoyne and Gates, it expected
to proceed to Boston and embark for Europe;
but Congress, with perhaps questionable justice,
decided otherwise.
The route of the British army is laid down in a
map accompanying Anburey's Interior Travels
Through America. It entered this county and
State in the neighborhood of Sharon, and
"marched," says the historian Lossing, "down
the valley of the Wee-bee-tuck or Wee-bu-took,
(the Ten Mile River,) " almost to Dover Plains,
wgnt over Plymouth Hill, and through Mutton
Hollow to Little Rest, thence by way of Verbank
and Arthursburg to Fishkill Plains, and crossed the
Hudson River from Fishkill Landing [to] New-
burgh." " In my. boyhood," he adds, " I have
heard old people speak of this march of the Hes-
sians through the country, and of the many women
and children, wives and offspring of the soldiers,
who were forlorn-looking camp-fbllowers."*
It will be of interest to note Anburey's intelli-
gent observations in so far as they pertain to this
locality.
" Just before we crossed the North River," he
says, "we came to the town of Fish Kill, which has
not more than fifty houses, [in 1777] in the space
of near three miles, but this place has been
the principal depot of Washington's army,
where there are magazines, hospitals, workshops,
etc., which form a town of themselves. They are
erected near a wood, at the foot of a mountain,
where there are a great number of huts, which have
been the winter-quarters of the American army, and
to which they are shortly expected to return for
the ensuing winter ; they are a miserable shelter
from the severe weather in this country, and I
should imagine, must render their troops very
sickly, for these huts consist only of little walls
made with uneven stones, and the intervals filled
up with wood and straw, a few planks forming the
roof; there is a chimney at one end, at the side
of which is the door. Near the magazines are
some well-constructed barracks, with a prison,
surrounded with lofty pallisadoes. In this prison
were a number of unfortunate friends to Govern-
ment, who were seized in their plantations, for re-
fusing to take the oath of allegiance to the United
States, and who were confined till a sloop was ready
to take them to New York ; for the Americans are
so oppressive, they will not let any one remain
neuter ; and they compel every inhabitant, either
to take the oath, or quit the country. When we
crossed the river, there were two large sloops going
to New York, crowded with people of this descrip-
tion, many of whom, the boatmen informed us, had
left beautiful houses, with extensive and well culti-
vated plantations." " The small part of New York
we passed through," he says, "seems to be well cul-
tivated; it affords grain of all sorts; there are
abundance of cattle, hogs and poultry."
Further on, he says : —
" We passed through a Httle town called Hopel,
[Hopewell,] before we crossed the North River,
which is chiefly inhabited by the Dutch. At a
house where we were quartered, the people behaved
extremely civil and attentive, and upon leaving
them,. would scarce permit us to pay for what we
had; from which circumstance we concluded they
were friends to Government, and some officers
opening their hearts, spoke very freely about the
Congress, Washington, etc., observing how ^eat a
shame it was, that we should be put to such ex-
pence, and that Congress ought to pay for us, the
* Poughkeepsie Weekly Eag!e, Jan. ii, 1876.
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
139
man went out of the room in a moment, and just
as we were mounting our horses, brought us an
enormous bill, exhorbitant in every article, which
he insisted upon being paid, and upon our urging
that we had paid him what he had demanded, he
replied, 'Yes, gentlemen, so you have, but then I
thought Congress were to defray all your expences,
now I know you are to pay me, I can't take a
farthing less than this bill, which we were com-
pelled to discharge ; however, it served as a lesson
in future, to be cautious before whom we railed
against Congress."*
While this army of prisoners was en route, Wash-
ington, uncertain of the intentions of Lord Howe,
and apprehensive that Sir Henry Clinton would
attempt a rescue at the crossing of the Hudson,
or the passage through the Jerseys, moved his
army into the latter State, and on their arrival at
Fishkill, detached a large escort, consisting of a
brigade for each brigade of prisoners,! who num-
bered between 5,000 and 6,000.
At an early period of the war, Washington
evinced an appreciation of the importance of an
adequate defense of the Hudson River, and when
he withdrew his army from New York, the selec-
tion of eligible defensive situations revealed to him
the strategical advantages of West Point. The
campaign of 1777 having revealed the apparent
effort of the British to gain control of the Hudson,
and thus separate New England from the rest of
the country, led to the improvement of the defen-
ses of that stronghold, which were in progress in
the fall of 1777. Fishkill, from its secure posi-
tion at the head of the Highlands, and being on a
direct route of communication with the New Eng-
land States, was the natural depot of supplies for
this section, and at an early period was selected
for that purpose, a sergeant and fourteen men being
detailed from each regiment within the county to
erect barracks there. Each man so detailed was
required to provide himself with either " a good
sufficient spade, shovel, stubbing hoe, felling ax, or
corn hoe, and every other necessary for his ac-
commodation." Large quantities of stores from
the Eastern States and adjacent country were there
accumulated for the use of the Continental army;
and there numerous refugees sought shelter on the
evacuation of New York City in 1776.
Considerable bodies of troops were stationed in
Fishkill at different periods. The Wharton House."|
*Anburey's Tranels, II., i34-»43.
t/Jirf, 136,
XLossing's Pictorial Field Book of the Revolution, I,6goi The same
author in one of a series of Historical Sketches, published in the
• Pouehkeeisie Eagle, reiterates the name. Mr. Brmkerhoff, in the
sketch already noted, calls it the "Walton House," a name, he saySj
which "has already lead to much needless mistake The place,
he adds, "has always been in tlie possession of the VanWyck famUy, Irom
the first' settlement of the country."
named from Mr. Wharton, who then owned it, and
made memorable by Cooper's story of The Spy*
but now the residence of Sidney E. VanWyck, was
the head-quarters of the officers. The house stands
a short distance south of the village, on the turn-
pike, near the foot of the mountains. The bar-
racks extended along the road, a half-mile south of
the village, in close proximity to the house. Near
this residence, " by the large black-walnut trees,"
says Mr. Brinkerhoff, before quoted, " and east of
the road near the base of the mountain, was the
soldier's burial-ground. * * * This almost un-
known and unnoticed burial-ground holds not a
few, but hundreds of those who gave their lives for
the cause of American Independence. Some fif-
teen years ago, [about 1861,] an old lady who was
then living at an advanced age, and who had lived
near the village until after she had grown to woman-
hood, told the writer that after the battle of White
Plains she went with her father through the streets
of Fishkill, and in places between the Dutch and
Episcopal churches the dead were piled up as high
as cord wood. These were buried there. The
wounded of the battle who afterwards died, were
buried there. The constant stream of death from
the hospitals were buried there. The small-pox,
which broke out in the camp, and prevailed very
malignantly added many more." The same writer
adds, " it is doubtful whether any spot in the State
has as many of the buried dead of the Revolution
as this quiet spot." Some of the hospitals were
located in the barracks, others, in the more imme-
diate vicinity of the village. The Episcopal church
was used for that puspose when needed ; also the
Dutch church, though less often. The academy
building was likewise used for hospital purposes ;
and finally the Presbyterian church.
Fishkill was, for brief periods, the headquarters
* In this house a company of Tories, who were lured by Enoch
Crosby into the power of the Whigs, were tried before the
Committee of Safety in the fall of 1776- Crosby was a native of Massa-
chusetts, and in infancy removed with his parents to South East, in
Duchess, (now Putnam, ) county, where he learned the trade of a shoe-
maker. When the Revolution broke out he was living at Danbury. He
laid aside the lap-stone and last and shouldered a musket. In 1776,
after rendering service on the northern frontier, he engaged in the
" secret service," at the suggestion of the Committee of Safety of this
State, and distinguished himself by his exploits in luring bands of Tories,
with whom he was usually captured, tried and imprisoned, but managed
to escape through the connivance of his captors, until his frequent
escapes from durance excited the suspicions of the Tories of Westchester
and the southern portion of Duchess county, among whom he had freely
mingled as a traveling cobbler. He, in company with the band
of Tories above referred to, was confined in the old stone (Dutch)
church at Fishkill ; in which, also, were confined several British and
Hessian soldiers captured through a stratagem of Crosby's at Teller's
Point. This old stone church still stands, an eloquent relic of the dim
past. Enoch Crosby, it is asserted, was the original of ' ' Harvey Burch,"
the hero of James Fennimore Cooper's Spy: a Tale of Neutral
Ground.
I40
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
of Gen. Washington, who always, when in that
town, stopped at the residence of Col. John Brinck-
erhofif,* which " is one of a group of buildings in
and around Fishkill village made notable by their
connection with historic events." This building,
which, as a stone in one of its gables testifies, was
erected in 1738, by the same Col. Brinckerhoff,
stands a few rods from the line of the Duchess and
Columbia Railroad, about three miles north-east
of Fishkill village. It is an old-fashioned farm
.house, built of stone, its gables being formed of
bricks imported from Holland. It also accommo-
dated other distinguished guests, among whom
was La Fayette, who remained there during a six
weeks' sickness. It is now the property of Mr.
Alfred White. Many other buildings in !^ishkijl
have connected with them Revolutionary associa-
tions, but for more minute descriptions of these,
as well as the comphcity of Joshua Hett Smith in
Arnold's treason and his subsequent arrest in
Fishkill, we must refer the reader to the history of
that town. In the spring of 1779, Fishkill Land-
ing was the headquarters of Anthony Wayne —
" Mad Anthony "—the hero of Stony Point.
There, also, were the headquarters of John Fisher,
Quartermaster-General of the Continental Army.
Pawling, too, is made memorable by its Revolu-
tionary associations. Within its borders, on the
slopes of " Purgatory Hill," a portion of the Con-
tinental army was cantoned in the fall of r778.
They occupied log huts, the remnants of the chim-
neys of which might be seen a few years ago.
Washington, whose headquarters were at or near
Fredericksburg, (now Patterson,) a few miles be-
low Pawling station, spent several weeks with these
troops— from late in September till the close of
November, excepting some ten days spent at Fish-
kill. Well authenticated tradition says that he
sometimes occupied the Ferris house, a first-
class farm house, situated about two miles from
the Harlem Railroad station at Pawling, a little
distance from the more southerly road leading to
Quaker Hill, and built in 1771, by Reed Ferris, one
of a number of families of Friends who immigrated
to that town from Rhode Island. This house is
further made notable by the trial there, in the fall of
1778, of Gen. Philip Schuyler, (the victim of Gen.
Gates' intrigues,) by court-martial, on the general
charge of neglect of duty while in command of the
*Mr. T. VanWyck BrinkerhofF says Washington quartered at the
" Wharton," or "Walton House." Its builder, Col. John Brinckerhoff
•was the maternal grandfather of the late Col. John B VanWyck of
Poughkeepsie, who occupied the mansion till his removal to Pouirh-
keepsie, m 1817, *"
Northern Department in 1777, especially for his
absence at the capture of Ticonderoga July 6th,
of that year. General Lincoln, whose headquarters
were at the Ferris house, was President of the court.
Gen. Schuyler was honorably acquitted, and pend-
ing the action of Congress on the verdict of the
court, he was appointed to that body by the Leg-
islature of New York, then in session at the court-
house in Poughkeepsie. Some changes have been
made in the Ferris house, but it remains substan-
tially the same as when Washington occupied and
Schuyler was tried in it.
While the army lay encamped on " Purgatory
Hill," this region was infested by a band of Tory
robbers, known as " Cowboys," who plundered the
Whigs and were not over-scrupulous in appropriat-
ing the property of moderate Tories. The suffer-
ing Whigs, prominent among whom were Messrs.
Sherman and Akin, of Quaker Hill, unwilling longer
to endure the injuries to person and property in-
flicted by this band, determined to exterminate
them, and securing the services of Col. Pearce, of the
Duchess county militia, and a file of men, accom-
panied them to the house of one named Peaseley,
(a leader of the band,) which was situated on a
high hill about a mile east-south-east of the Ferris
house, and was the chief place of rendezvous. The
heavy growth of woods which almost surrounded
the house enabled them to approach closely with-
out being observed. One Vaughan, a chief leader
of the band, and two of his companions were sitting
near a rock, with their guns by their sides, playing
cards. One division of Pearce's men fired on them,
mortally wounding Vaughan, and lopping a finger
from the hand of another. This broke up the
band and gave peace to the neighborhood. In
one corner of a secluded burying ground on Quaker
Hill, two rude stones yet mark the grave of
Vaughan.*
On the first of August, 1776, as previously
stated, the Convention of Representatives of the
State of New York appointed a committee to de-
vise a form of government for the State ; but this
committee did not report till March 12, 1777.
The draft of the constitution, which was drawn by
John Jay, was amply discussed and underwent
some amendments and additions, but was adopted
on the 20th of April, 1777, with but one dissenting
voice, in almost the same form as prepared by Mr.
Jay. The same night one of the secretaries was
directed to proceed to Fishkill and have printed
*Hktorical Sketches, Nos. S6 and 6l, by Benson J. Lossinft LL. D.,
in the Poughkeepsie Eagle.
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, GEORGE CLINTON ELECTED GOVERNOR.
141
500 copies of the Constitution with, and 2,500
without, the preamble, and was instructed to give
gratuities to the workmen to expedite the work.
This constitution was printed by Samuel Lou-
don, a Whig printer of New York, who fled from
that city on its evacuation by Washington's army
and set up his press in Fishkill. It "was \hz first,
as well as the most important book ever printed in
the State " ;* and the New York Packet, whichjie
established in December, 1776, and pubHshed there
during the war, was the first newspaper pubhshed
in Duchess county.f
The document was promulgated the following
Thursday in front of the court house at Kingston,
by Robert Berrian, one of the secretaries, who read
it to the assembled multitude from the end of a
hogshead. The Convention, having provisionally
appointed officers to carry on the government until
an election could be held, adjourned sine die, May
13, 1777- "Thus," says Hon. Chauncey M. De-
pew, " passed into history this remarkable Conven-
tion. In lofty patriotism, steadfastness of pur-
pose, practical wisdom, and liberal statesmanship,
it had few, if any, equals, even among the legisla-
tive bodies of extraordinary merit which marked
the era." George CUnton was duly elected Gov-
ernor. The returns were made to the Council of
Safety, July 9, 1777, and on the 30th of that month
he took the oath of office at Kingston.
Governor Clinton, who was then in the field in
command of the State militia, discharged the du-
ties of his office by correspondence with the Coun-
cil of Safety, which remained the governing power
until the Legislature met. August i, 1777, was
designated as the time of meeting of the latter
body, but for obvious reasons. Gov. Clinton twice
deferred it. The Senate had no quorum till Sep-
tember gth, 1777 ; and the Assembly, though in
session on the first of that month, did not organize
until the loth. The Legislature remained in ses-
sion at Kingston till Oct. 7th, when, having made
provision for the pubhc welfare, and appointed a
new Council of Safety, it dispersed on the approach
of Sir Henry Clinton's forces up the Hudson.
On the burning of Kingston, the State govern-
ment was removed to Poughkeepsie, and there the
Assembly next met, Jan. 5, 1778, and the Senate
on the 15th of that month.
In Poughkeepsie the Legislature met first in the
old VanKleeck House, which was then a tavern,
and subsequently in the court house, and there
* Lossing's Pictorial Field- Book 0/ the Revolution, /, 695.
1 Sketches of Local History, by Eenson J. Lossing, in The
Dutchess Farmer, Dec. 12, 1876.
continued its sessions, at intervals, until March 17,
1779- After that it met at irregular intervals at
Kingston, Albany, Poughkeepsie and New York,
till the final removal of the State capitol to
Albany in 1797. Its subsequent sessions at
Poughkeepsie were: — September 7 to October 10,
1780; June 15 to July i, and October 10 to No-
vember 3, 1781 ; February 23 to April 14, and
July 8 to 25, 1782; January 11 to March 22,
1788; December 11, 1788, to March 3, 1789;
and January 6 to 14, 1795.
On the removal of the State capitol to Pough-
keepsie in 1778, Governor Clinton took up his
residence there, in the old stone house now known
as the Washington Hotel, on the corner of Main
and White streets, on the north side of the former
street. It was then the fine mansion of Clear
Everett, (who was Sheriff of the county from 1754
to 1 76 1,) by whom it was built.
In 1 78 1, efforts were made by the British in
New York City to make prisoners of notable men
in the State, in order to secure the release by
exchange of distinguished British captives. An
attempt to seize Gen. Schuyler in August, 1781,
was almost successful. A similar attempt to seize
Governor Clinton at Poughkeepsie was made
about the same time. The Governor, writing to
Gen. Schuyler from the stone mansion of Clear
Everett, said: —
" I sincerely congratulate you on your fortunate
escape from the villainous attempts of Meyer and
his party. * * * xhe evening before I re-
ceived your letter, I received an account by express
from his Excellency, General Washington, (then at
Dobb's Ferry, on the Hudson,) of a party out
from New York, to seize and dehver me there, for
which they are promised a considerable reward. I
have persons out to watch their motions, and am
not without hope of soon having some of them at
least, in my power. This is the third party which
has been sent out on this business, and of which I
have been apprised, in the course of the spring
and summer, and some of them have met their fate
at this place, though for different crimes."*
During its first session in Poughkeepsie, in the
old VanKleeck House, in 1778, the Legislature
ratified the Articles of Confederation, and on the
9th of July of that year New York's delegates in
* Among these was Huddlestone, a notorious British spy, who was
hung on what was afterwards known as " Forbus's Hill,*' in rear of the
Nelson House, and in the square formed by Market, Jefferson, Union
and Church streets. This hill was, at an early day, a beautiful elevated
plateau, but h^s been leveled somewhat and its peculiar characteristics
destroyed. There too, a hundred years ago, a negro slave belonging to
Jacob VanBenschoten, of Poughkeepsie, was burned at the stake, for
the crime of burning his master's bam and \i\ct^zk.~Sheiches of Local
History, by Benson J. Lossing, in The Dutchess Farmer, December
12, 1876.
142
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
Congress signed the articles. But New York's
ratification was conditioned on a like ratification
by all the other States. The delegates from Con-
necticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Penn-
sylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and
Virginia, signed them the same day ; but the last
of the States to do so,— Maryland, — did not sign
until March i, 1781.
The news of the surrender of Cornwallis at
Yorktown, Oct. 19, 1 781, which virtually terminated
the struggle for American independence, (for peace
was concluded the following year,) was received
with delight by the patriotic citizens of Duchess
county on the 29th of October. The Legislature
was then in session at Poughkeepsie, and both
houses, with the Governor, proceeded to the Re-
formed Dutch church, and there offered thanks-
giving to God for the great deliverance. The
Rev. John H. Livingston, (father of the late Col.
Henry A. Livingston, of Poughkeepsie, and after-
wards President of Rutger's College,) who was a
native of Poughkeepsie, and was then pastor of
that church, officiated on that occasion. From
the church the members of the Legislature went
to the residence of Governor Clinton to tender
their congratulations. Cannon were fired, bonfires
were lighted in Main (now Market,) street, and
the houses of Whig citizens were illuminated in
the evening.
At that time there were only two stores in
Poughkeepsie, one kept by Beekman Livingston,
on the site of the present Park House, on the
corner of Market and Cannon streets, and the
other by Archibald Stewart, "adjoining the Dutch
church." On the occasion alluded to, Livingston's
store was illuminated ; that of Stewart, who was a
Scotchman and a loyalist, was " darkened," so to
speak, by the light of a single tallow candle.
At Fishkill, the victory was celebrated with
demonstrations of great joy. " A roasted ox and
plenty of liquor formed the repast," and a number
of toasts were drank. French and American
colors, indicative of the alliance, were displayed,
and cannon, bonfires, illuminations and fire works
marked the general joy. An immense bonfire was
displayed on the summit of Beacon Hill, in the
Highlands, that shed its light far over the country,
and attracted the attention of the citizens of New-
burgh, who on that day had hung Benedict Arnold
in eflSgy.*
^ "When the war of 1812 broke out, recruiting
* Sketches 0/ Local I/M^j,, by Benson J. Lossing, in The Dutchess
Farmer of Dec. iz, 1876.
offices were opened in this county, and many men
were sent off to the scene of action. As a matter
of course, deep interest was felt in every scrap of
news, and when finally the intelligence was re-
ceived that peace had been declared, it was re-
ceived with the greatest rejoicings. The news
reached here, [Poughkeepsie,] on Sunday morn-
ing, and was announced in the churches, the day
bejng made a general thanksgiving. The next
night many of the villages were illuminated, and
the event was further celebrated by great proces-
sions of sleigh riders, (it was in February, 1815,)
who went dashing through the streets, their jingling
bells and merry shouts testifying to the general
joy."*
CHAPTER XV.
War of the Rebellion — Secession of South
Carolina — Formation of the Confederate
Government — Surrender of Fort Sumter
Early Measures to Suppress Rebellion
The Ready Response of the North— Prompt
AND Generous Response of Duchess County.
— Additional Troops Called For — Some of
the Organizations with which the Early
Volunteers United — Call of July 2d, 1862
—Military Districts Formed— Regimental
Camp at Tivoli — Changed to Hudson —
National and State Bounties— A District
Regiment Authorized— Town Quotas Under
the Call of July 2d— Call of August 4th,
1862 — Efforts to Promote Enlistments
The 128TH Regiment— Its Organization and
Services.
THE war of the rebellion covers a period in
the history of Duchess county to which the
descendants of those who participated in it may
recur with just pride.
December 17, i860, the people of South Caro-
lina met in Convention at Columbia, and adjourned
thence by reason of the prevalence of small-pox to
Charleston, where they repealed the act of May
23, 1788, ratifying the federal constitution and the
amendments thereto, and declared " that the union
now subsisting between South Carolina and other
States, under the name of the United States of
America, is hereby dissolved." An address to the
people of the other slave-holding States was issued,
inviting them to join in " a slave-holding Confed-
eracy," and reciting that "we must be the most in-
* Poughkeepsie Weekly Eagle., July 8, 1876.
THE WAR OF THE REBELLION, FIRST VOLUNTEERS.
143
dependent, as we are the most important of the
nations of the world." This action was followed
in a few days by Georgia, Florida, Texas, Missis-
sippi, Alabama and Louisiana. " The Border
States foreseeing inevitable war, and that the shock
of the conflict would fall upon them, temporized.
After all had been done to pledge them to the
movement, Virginia, North Carolina, Missouri,
Kentucky, Tennessee, Maryland, though a reign of
terror political and social, was inaugurated in them,
either took the step with great reluctance, or
avoided taking it at all."* Prominent among these,
and indeed among the States composing the Con-
federacy, was Virginia, which did not pass the
ordinance of secession until April 17, 1861, and
then only after exacting the foremost rank in the
Confederacy and protection for her slave interests.
Even then she did not carry the whole State with
her ; for the western portion maintained its de-
termination to adhere to the Union, and was af-
terwards recognized as a separate State. Arkan-
sas, North Carolina and Tennessee also passed
ordinances of secession.
February 4, 1861, the delegates of six of the
seceding States, (South Carolina, Georgia, Ala-
bama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida,) met
in convention at Montgomery, Alabama, and
formed a provisional government denominated
"The Confederate States of America," founded,
as affirmed in the inaugural address of its presi-
dent, on the principle of the inequaUty of men,
and with human slavery as its corner-stone. Jef-
ferson Davis was elected President and Alexander
H. Stephens, Vice-President. They were soon af-
ter elected permanently for six years. The per-
manent constitution was modeled substantially from
that of the United States. The following summer
the seat of government was removed to Richmond,
and their Congress opened its first session in that
city, July 20, 1861, the day previous to the battle
of Bull Run.
On the 15th of April, 1861, two days after the
fall of Sumter, President Lincoln called on the
several States for 75,000 men to suppress the up-
rising, which was then regarded, even by those in
the best position to judge, as little more than an
evanescent emeute. The proclamation also called
an extra session of Congress to be convened on
the 4th of July.
New York, instead of filling the requisition on
her for seventeen regiments — between 13,000 and
14,000 men — for three months, for which period
* Draper's History of the American Civil War, I., S'7i
the 75,000 were called, raised 30,000 men for two
years and added a war loan of $3,000,000. Many
other States acted in like manner. Rhode Island
not only instantly sent her quota and added a
loan, but her Governor, Sprague, went at the head
of her troops. Within fifteen days 350,000 men
had offered their services.
If we direct our inquiry to the action of the cit-
izens of Dachess county during this eventful period,
we find a no less gratifying exhibition of pat-
riotism. On the fall of Fort Sumter, Matthew
Vassar, Jr., of Poughkeepsie, anticipating the need
of the government, tendered to it his schooner, the
Matthew Vassar, Jr., " one of the fastest sailing
vessels afloat." Her mate, the Matther Vassar,
was loaned to the goverment by Mr. Vassar for
service during the Mexican war. With the same
wise forethought Messrs. W. W. & J. Reynolds, also
of Poughkeepsie, tendered to the government their
substantial and well-arranged steamer Reliance.
Local military organizations evinced early activ-
ity. On the 1 6th of April meetings of the officers
of the 2 1 St Regiment and the American Citizens
Corps were held, to put those organizations on a
war footing and prepare them for any emergency.
The use of the city hall had been tendered the
former for drill purposes by the Common Council
of Poughkeepsie, on the 15th. Measures looking
to the formation of independent companies were
instituted in the city and the principal villages in
the county. The Poughkeepsie Eagle, of April 1 7,
1 86 1, says : "We have ascertained that there are
one hundred volunteers ready to answer to the
Governor's call " ; and adds : " Political feeUngs
are fast disappearmg in this city. * * * The old
poHtical names are fast being forgotten." Such
was the spirit that animated the people throughout
the county ; and within a few days from the issu-
ance of the Governor's call on the i8th of April,
companies were raised and organized in many of
the towns of the county, and united with various
regimental organizations. In some instances, and
this is especially true of the city of Poughkeepsie,
civic societies became the nuclei of companies or
parts of companies. Spirited public meetings,
numerously attended and ably addressed, were held
in various parts of the county, and awakened a
great degree of enthusiasm. These early measures,
being concerted by the several towns, will be more
particularly noticed in connection with the history
of the respective towns.
The South, by years of anticipation and covert
preparation, were in a better state of readiness than
144
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
the North, and were thus able to precipitate events
with astounding rapidity. The conviction of the
extent of that preparation, the magnitude of the
struggle, and the means necessary to oppose it,
forced itself only gradually on the minds of the
authorities at Washington, who repressed rather
than stimulated a popular uprising.
It soon became evident that the time of the
75,000 three months' men would expire before they
could be fully armed and equipped. On the 3d of
May, 1861, a call was issued for 42,034 volunteers
for three years, and provision made to increase the
regular army by 22,714 men, and the navy by
18,000 men, for five years. On the ist of July
two hundred and eighty regiments had been ac-
cepted. Congress met July 4th, and July 22, 1861,
voted $500,000,000 and 400,000 more men, of
which New York's quota was 25,000 men, who
were called for on the 2Sth of July, four days after
the disastrous battle of Bull Run, which was fought
on Sunday, July 21, 1861, mostly with three months'
men whose time was then expiring. July 29th the
addition of 25,000 men to the regular army was
authorized.
The troops raised under the call of July 25th
were, like those raised under the first call, required
to rendezvous at New York, Albany and Elmira,
and provision was made for the examination of ap-
plicants for commissions. This, though it gave to
the service a greatly improved class of officers, re-
tarded enlistments. To obviate this, and at the
same time obtain the best class of troops. Gover-
nor Morgan authorized branch depots in twenty-
two different localities, so separated that they
would be unlikely to interfere with each other.
Major VonBeck, of Rondout, was appointed gen-
eral recruiting officer for Columbia and Duchess
counties. " The objects," says Governor Morgan,
in his annual message of Jan. 7, 1862, "were more
than accomplished. Not only did the change se-
cure a class of troops which for respectability and
intelligence can nowhere be surpassed, ,but it
hastened enlistments."
Duchess County's contributions to the quotas
under these early calls were both prompt and gen-
erous. Public meetings were held in various parts
of the county and eloquently addressed by able
speakers. Each village and hamlet became the
center of an organized effort in this interest. Flags
were flung to the breeze in all directions, and these
events were made the occasion of large gatherings
of enthusiastic people, whose patriotism was ap-
pealed to by earnest speakers. Such a meeting was
held at Beekmanville on Saturday, May ir, 1861,
and addressed by Dist. Atty., AUard Anthony,
of Poughkeepsie, Benson J. Lossing, of Pough-
keepsie. Rev. Mr. Holman, pastor of the Baptist
Church at Beekmanville, and the Rev. Mr. King,
pastor of the Methodist Church at Yonkers. The
speech of Mr. Lossing, who is a native of Beek-
manville, was forcible and eloquent and breathed
the sentiment of the great loyal heart of the nation.
It was prophetic of the ultimate triumph of the
Union arms, and vividly mirrors the state of the
pubhc mind in the early days of the rebellion. He
said, referring to the rebels : —
"Shall they succeed in their stupendous scheme
of villainy? No — a thousand times no! The
voices of nineteen milUons of patriotic and indig-
nant people have already answered that question
most emphatically within the last twenty days.
Never in the history of the worid has there been
such an uprising of the people in defense of the
dearest interests of man. For weeks gloom and
despondency overshadowed the land. Good and
true men began to ask themselves, have we got a
government? Has patriotism died out? Have
the fathers been forgotten, and are their practices
and precepts unremembered ? Is this great Re-
pubHc that cost so much blood and treasure about
to be dissolved, and the Star in the West that has
long beamed in splendor as a harbinger of hope
and redemption for the struggling nations about to
go down in darkness forever ?
"Dark were the clouds all over the political
horizon. Men appeared to be slumbering every-
where. It seemed as if some deadly malaria had
come creepmg up from the dark swamps of the Gulf
States, poisonmg the blood, deadening the nerves
and paralyzmg the moral perceptions of the best
and wisest. The atmosphere became, as it were
thick and suffocating. All felt as if some dreadful
calamity was pending; They looked to the earth
all was gloom. They looked to the firmament, all
was blackness.
"Suddenly a thunder peal rolled over the land.
It was the boom of the gun that hurled a rebel
shot at Fort Sumter. It fell upon the dull ear of
the North like the trump of the Archangel. In-
stantly the dead were raised. The millions of the
loyal States, as one man, sprang to their feet and
seized the weapons of war. Every heart was filled
with courage and devotion. The life blood coursed
swiftly through their veins. From every hill and
valley a shout went up louder than ten thousand
hunders. 'The Union and the Government shaU
be Preserved. '*
As indicative of the spirit which per\raded the
rural districts of the county, we may cite a few of
the incidents which transpired at this period.. May
» PmghkeeMia Daily Eagle, May 14, 1S61. We are indebted to the
files of this paper for much of the materia] gleaned relative to the part
taken by Duchess county in the War of the Rebellion.
THE WAR OF THE REBELLION, EARLY LOCAL INCIDENTS.
1 45
17, 1861, a large and splendid flag was raised on
the Episcopal church at Wappingers Falls. Ap-
propriate addresses were made by Revs. Messrs.
Andrews and Reese, and the "Star Spangled
Banner " was sung by the choir. The Wappin-
gers Falls Artillery, then just organized by Capt.
Faulkner, was out in full uniform and fired a
national salute. On the i8th a large and enthusi-
astic meeting of Union men was held at LaGrange-
ville, and eloquent addresses were made by Rev.
Mr. Cutting, of Poughkeepsie, Mr. Robinson, of
Ithaca, Mr. Anthony, of Poughkeepsie, and Jere-
miah Eighmie, of Fishkill. A flag was raised on a
pole of over one hundred feet natural length.
The same day a gathering of over a thousand
people assembled in the spacious yard fronting the
Presbyterian church at Hughsonville, to witness
the raising of the American flag on that edifice.
Stirring and patriotic speeches were made by Rev.
Vanness Traver, Col. James VanAlen, and Rev.
James B. Dunn. The exercises were enlivened
by booming cannon and music by the Fishkill
band and the church choir. Capt. Faulkner and
his zouaves from Wappingers Falls were there with
a gaily decorated carriage, festooned and garlanded
with flowers in the form of an arbor, in which sat
two young girls, dressed in white and decked with
wreaths of flowers. Previous to the meeting a
very large number of ladies met in the church and
formed a Dorcas Army Relief Society with the
following oflScers: — ist Directress, Mrs. Z. V.
Hasbrook ; 2d Directress, Miss Mesier ; 3d Direct-
ress, Mrs. McKinley ; Treasurer, Mrs. John
Smith ; Secretary, Mrs. Harriet Delavergne. The
presidents were Mrs. Henry Norris and Miss Lydia
R. Hasbrook. Mrs. Joseph Vail was President,
and Miss Eliza Jane Conover, Secretary, of the
working committee. On the 20th a flag was
raised in school district No. 9, in the towns of
Stanford and Washington, by the teachers and
scholars of that district, and a patriotic address
was made by Dr. S. G. Cook. On the 20th, also,
a flag was raised on the county house by John C.
Hitchcock, the Superintendent, and addresses
were made by William WiUiamson and A. S.
Pease. The Poughkeepsie Eagle of May 21, 186 1,
says: — "We learn that the citizens of Hyde Park
have presented each of the volunteers who went
from there to join Col. Duryee's regiment with a
revolver and knife." This is suggestive of the
work that was expected of them. May 22d four
hundred to five hundred people assembled at the
house of David D. Vincent, of Clove Hollow, to
assist in raising a pole and flag. Speeches were
made by AUard Anthony and G. I. Germond, of
Poughkeepsie, Rev. R. Mosher, of the Clove,
Wm. O. Thorn, of Washington, and Jeremiah
Eighmie, of LaGrange. On the 24th a large and
enthusiastic gathering took place at Arthursburgh
to celebrate the raising of a national flag with ap-
propriate ceremonies. Dr. G. Upton was made
chairman, Joseph Colwell, assistant chairman, and
Draper Hall, secretary. Addresses were made by
Charles H. S. Williams, Jr., Jeremiah Eighmie,
Albert Emans, Van Wyck Brinckerhoff, Rev. Mr.
Donnelly and David Ver Valin. The speaking
was of a patriotic character, suited to the occasion,
and was received with repeated applause. There
was a large attendance of ladies. At Fishkill Plains,
on the 29th of May, a flag was raised. A large
.procession was formed, including many ladies, and
headed by the Fishkill band, marched to the place
where the raising took place. Nicholas H. Strip-
pie was chosen chairman. The Rev. Mr. Cobb
opened the exercises with prayer. Charles H. S.
Williams, Jr., Albert Emans, V. W. Brinckerhoff,
AUard Anthony, M. D. Wilber, Rev. Mr. Lent and
Jeremiah Eighmie delivered addresses. June ist a
flag raising at Pleasant Valley was largely attended
by people from all the surrounding country to the
number of three thousand or more. Ebenezer
Allen was elected president. Several vice-presi-
dents and secretaries were chosen. The Rev. F.
B. Wheeler opened the exercises with prayer, after
which addresses were delivered by Rev. B. F.
Wile, James Bowne, Mayor of Poughkeepsie,
Rev. F. B. Wheeler, WiUiam Wilkinson, Esq., A.
S. Pease and Hon. H. A. Nelson. The exercises
were interspersed with music by the brass band.
Nor were those engaged in this labor unmindful
of the physical needs of the families of those who
heroically threw themselves into the vortex of war.
Provision was made for their support by towns and
municipalities, and this aid was supplemented by
individual contributions. The Poughkeepsie Daily
Eagle of May 31, 1861, published a list of one
hundred and forty-one subscribers to a " Fund for
the Relief of Volunteers from this County and their
Families." The gross amount subscribed was $ i o,-
875. It comprised one contribution of $300, one
of $250, three of $200, one of $150, sixty-eight of
$100, forty-four of $50, and twenty-three of $25
each. In addition $254.61 was donated by dif-
ferent individuals, included in which was $69.61
from the pupils of Rev. Mr. Rider's school, being
the proceeds of a concert.
146
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
The men who enlisted in this county under these
calls and the subsequent ones of October ist and
November 6th of that year were scattered through
so many different organizations and branches of
the service that it would be an almost inter-
minable task to trace their connection, and make
a record quite too voluminous for the scope of this
work. Many joined the 20th Regiment, which was
raised at Kingston, for two years, and was composed
largely of those who had belonged to it as a militia
regiment. The regiment left its encampment at
Kingston, for the seat of war October 25, 1861.
Previous to this — on the nth of October — the
regiment made a farewell visit to Poughkeepsie.
After parading the streets a bountiful collation was
served by the ladies in Pine's Hall, which was
handsomely decorated. They were escorted
through the principal streets by the Ellsworth
Greys, the rain preventing a strict adherence to the
programme laid down. After the collation. Rev.
G. M. McEckron, in a patriotic speech, presented
the regimental standard prepared by the ladies of
Poughkeepsie. It bore on each side the seal of
the State of New York, and the inscription " 20th
Regt. N. Y. S. T." On one side was inscribed
" From the Ladies of Poughkeepsie," and on the
other, "Organized Augusts, 1857." Mrs. Wins-
low also presented a national flag with the direction
to " present it to one Jeff. Davis, as the ensign of
the Southern Confederacy, and if he objects to re-
ceiving and adopting it, tell him he must." Capt.
Smith responded in behalf of the regiment, and
both he and Mr. McEckron were interrupted by
almost continuous cheering, " and when Col. Pratt
took the two flags and asked the regiment if they
would defend them, the cries of 'We Will' were ab-
solutely deafening." Company A of this regiment,
commanded by Capt. James Smith, was raised in
Poughkeepsie. The regiment numbered 950 offi-
cers and men, 758 of whom were present in Pough-
keepsie on the nth of October. John R. Leslie,
who was well known as a teacher in Poughkeepsie,
was ist Lieut, of Co. B, of this regiment. Dr. R.
K. Tuthill, also of Poughkeepsie, was Assistant
Surgeon, and Theodore Van Kleeck, Sergeant
Major of the same regiment.
Many others united with the 30th Regiment, for
two years. Co. E of that regiment, commanded by
Capt. Harrison Holliday, who raised the first com-
pany for the war in Poughkeepsie, left Poughkeep-
sie 130 strong, and returned at the expiration of
*two years with only 55. The regiment was mus-
tered June 1, 1861, and left for the seat of war that 1
month, (passing Poughkeepsie en route for New
York on the 27th,) but were not actively employed
till the following year, when they formed part of
McDowell's corps on the Rappahannock, On the
loth of August the regiment was sent to re-enforce
Pope, and afterwards took part in the short, but
momentous campaign under that General, which
ended in the retreat to Washington. In the battle
at Gainesville and 2d Bull Run, the Poughkeepsie
Co. lost its captain and the regiment its colonel.
Soon afterwards they were again engaged at
the battles of South Mountain and Antietam, bear-
ing in each a distinguished part. They were also
present at the battle of Fredericksburgh, under Burn-
side, and at Chancellorsville, under Hooker, but
took no prominent part in either. Eleven battle-
fields witnessed its devotion to the Union. The
regiment joined the army with 741 men, which
number was subsequently increased to 1,100. It
returned with 491. It lost in killed and wounded,
331; by deaths and accidents, 12; by discharges
through sickness or disability, 288. It had 6 offi-
cers and 94 men killed and 12 officers and 219 men
wounded in action. Flockton's band of Pough-
keepsie, were engaged by Col. Frisbee of this regi-
ment during its encampment at Camp Rathbone,
near West Troy, and to escort it to the city of
Washington. This band subsequently enlisted for
two years to accompany the regiment to the war.
Co. I of the 74th regiment, was raised in Pough-
keepsie, in the summer of 1861, by Capt. Arthur
Wilkinson, and served for three years. In August
and September of that year some T35 men were
enlisted in this county for Col. Ramsey's regiment,
then stationed at Camp Leslie, Dobb's Feriy,
mostly by Lieut. Broom. August 31st, as that
officer was about to leave Poughkeepsie with a
party of volunteers for that camp, they were ad-
dressed in a kind and encouraging speech by Mrs.
Charles H. Ruggles, of Poughkeepsie, who, at the
conclusion of her remarks, presented each with
two pocket-handkerchiefs, and informed them that
"a patriotic lady was preparing them a flag, which
she trusted they would bear right gallantly for the-
honor of the country." On Friday, Oct. 4th, that
lady presented a stand of colors to Capt. A. Lava-
lie's company, (formerly Co. C, of Col. Ramsey's
regiment,) at Dobb's Ferry. This company was
recruited in this county by Lieut. Broom. In
August, 1 86 1, Edward Titus, son of the late Judge
Titus, of the town of Washington, was authorized
by Col. De Forest to recruit a company of cavalry.
His headquarters were at Little Rest in this county,
THE WAR OF THE REBELLION, ENLISTMENTS DURING 1861.
147
and a branch office was opened by Wm. H. Broas,
at 314 Main street, Poughkeepsie. Fifty-five men
were recruited, mostly in the interior and eastern
parts of the county, and joined the Ira Harris
Guard, then rendezvoused in New York. Nearly
an entire company of the Washington Greys, (af-
terwards designated the 47th,) commanded by Col.
Henry Moore, were recruited in the towns of Stan-
ford, Pine Plains and Clinton, with a few from
Poughkeepsie, in the summer of 1861. They
joined the regiment at East New York the latter
part of August, and two weeks later proceeded to
Washington and encamped on Meridian Hill. It
subsequently removed to Camp Sherman, named
in honor of Gen. Sherman, and situated about a
mile from the capitol. It was brigaded with four
other regiments under Gen. Egbert Velie, a West
Point officer. In September, 1861, twenty-eight
men were recruited by Capt. Charles Bohrer, for
the Morgan Rifles, composed entirely of Germans,
and commanded by Col. Andrew Leutz. The re-
cruiting office was in George Seiver's lager beer
saloon, at the corner of Main and Bridge streets
in Poughkeepsie. Thirty men were enfisted by
Wm. H. Wheeler for Capt. Cromwell's company
of the First New York State Cavalry, encamped at
Troy and commanded by Col. Morrison. Twenty
of these — six from the city and the rest from the
country — left Poughkeepsie for the encampment
at Troy Sept. 24, 1861, and the remainder, early
in October. During the summer of 1861, a com-
pany was raised at FishkilL Landing to join the
19th regiment, whose headquarters were then at
Newburgh, and on the 17th of August they were
reviewed by Gen. Parraenter. August 19, 1861,
Pawhng sent six young men to the "People's
Ellsworth Regiment" at Albany. Their friends,
to the number of one hundred, met them at the
cars to see them off, and raised by subscription
over $150 in cash for their benefit. Other towns
furnished men for this regiment, which was desig-
nated the 44th, as follows : Rhinebeck — 6 in Co.
G, I in Co. I, 6 in Co. C, and i in Co. H ;
Washington — i in Co. G, and 3 in Co. E ; Town
of Poughkeepsie — 2 in Co. E ; Poughkeepsie City
— 4 in Co. E, viz : the zd Lieut., and ist, 3d and
4th Sergeants ; Pleasant Valley— i each in Cos. E
and G ; and Milan — i in Co. K. Wm. L. Vander-
lip was Captain of Co. G, Wm. H. Revere, Jr., of
Co. C, A. W. Shaffer, of Co. I, and Wm. Miller,
of Co. K. S. W. Stryker, of New York, was
Colonel. The regiment left Albany for Washing-
ton on Monday, Oct. 21st.
In the fall of i86i, Capt. M. V. L. Hevenor, of
Rhmebeck, was engaged in raising a company to be
attached to the First Regiment, Clinton Guards,
and composed in good part of members of the
Schuyler Guard, then recently returned from three
months' service. The Rhinebeck Gazette of that
period said, " Recruits are offering freely." The
regiment was commanded by Col. Spencer W.
Cone, a West Point graduate, and was rendezvoused
at Camp Harris, on Staten Island. Oct. 25th,
Capt. Manton C. Angell left Poughkeepsie with
six men for Co. B, of that regiment, en route for
the camp on Staten Island. November 30th, Capt.
Atkins, of the American Citizens Corps, left Pough-
keepsie with thirteen men for the McClellan
• Chasseurs, (the 91st Vols.,) organized at Albany
in December, 1861. Jan. 9, 1862, Lieut. Phoenix
Bockee, of Co. B, 2d N. Y. (Jackson,) Artillery,
left by the Harlem railroad with twelve men for
that regiment, at Camp Yates, East New York.
In the latter part of October, 1861, Lieut. S. W.
Cooper of the 8th U. S. Infantry opened a re-
cruiting office in the city hall, Poughkeepsie, and
during the two succeeding months enlisted fourteen
men for that regiment, which was then stationed in
Fort Hamilton. November 14th, Capt. Thacher,
of the 14th Regulars, took eleven recruits to the
camp of the regiment in Maryland. Early in De-
cember, Lieut. Benjamin Atkins opened a recruiting
office at the armory of the American Citizens
Corps, in the Library Building in Poughkeepsie,
for Capt. Samuel S. Parker's Co. B, 87th Regi-
ment, formerly the 13th Brooklyn. About the
middle of November, Henry A. Downing opened
a recruiting office in the court house for the Put-
nam Rifles, commanded by Col. H. W. Adams.
About the middle of September a recruiting station
was established at 277 Main street in Poughkeep-
sie, for the De Epineuil Zouaves, (53d Vols.,) a
regiment commanded by officers who had seen ser-
vice in the French army.
In these and various other organizations, too
numerous for detailed mention, the bone and sinew
of the yeomanry of Duchess county were repre-
sented in detached fragments, but exceeding in
the aggregate a thousand men, the offering of this
first spontaneous outburst of patriotism. For in-
telligence and sterling manly qualities they com-
pared favorably with the troops of that period from
any section of the State or country. S. H. Bogardus,
Jr., of Co. C, 5th Regiment, writing under date of
Oct. 8, 1 86 1, from Camp Federal Hill, where the
regiment were engaged in erecting batteries, said,
148
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
the Poughkeepsie boys are well thought of in the
regiment. Such, if it could have found expression,
might have been the verdict of the Duchess county
troops generally. Nor did they in all cases fill in-
conspicuous niches. Lieut. John L. Worden, who
distinguished himself in command of the Monitor m
the desperate encounter with the Merrimac, March
9, 1862, was a native of Duchess county, and for-
merly resided in Fishkill, and also, for a time, in
Poughkeepsie. The builder of that staunch craft,
(the Monitor,) Stephen Simmons, was a native of
Poughkeepsie, a son of Isaac Simmons, a well-known
blacksmith.
In the spring of 1862, the prospect of an early
peace induced the government to suspend the or-
ganization of new regiments, and some that had
been forwarded were actually mustered out ; but
on the zd of July of that year, the President, in-
duced by the severe losses sustained by the federal
armies in the early campaigns of 1862, and urged
on the 28th of June by the governors of seventeen
loyal States, issued a call for an additional 300,000
men, to serve for three years or during the war.
Of this number New York's quota was 59,705;
and in order to facilitate and systematize the labor
of raising them, and equalize the burden to be
borne, on the 7th of July the State was divided
into military districts, corresponding, with the ex-
ception of the first eight, with the senatorial dis-
tricts.
Duchess county was then associated with Co-
lumbia in forming the nth district, in which the
raising of a regiment was authorized, and TivoU
was designated as the regimental camp. Hon.
William Kelly, of Rhinebeck, and Isaac Piatt, of
Poughkeepsie, were appointed by the Governor
members of a committee, of which the former was
made chairman, to adopt measures for facilitating
the raising of such regiment, and were empowered
to add to their number by forwarding to the Gov-
ernor the names of such as they chose to associate
with themselves. They were also commissioned to
recommend a commander and other principal offi-
cers for the regiment.
A meeting of this committee and others asso-
ciated with them was held at the Poughkeepsie
Hotel, Saturday, July 12, 1862, and attended by
the following named persons : Hon. William Kelly,
Hon. John Thompson, Hon. John H. Otis, Hon.
James Emott, Hon. Stephen Baker, C. W., Swift,
Benson J. Lossing, Isaac Piatt, W. S. Johnston,
James H. Weeks, Hon. Gilbert Dean and Ambrose
Wager. James Emott, Benson J. Lossing, John
H. Ketcham, J. F. Barnard and Ambrose Wager
were appointed an executive committee to confer
with a Hke committee from Columbia county, and
to devise ways and means to carry out the recom-
mendations of the Governor. Hons. WilUam
Kelly and Stephen Baker were appointed ex officio
members of said committee, and of the joint com-
mittee to be appointed by the two counties.
The committee for the two counties was as fol-
lows : Hon. William Kelly, chairman, James Emott,
John Thompson, James H. Weeks, Isaac Piatt,
John C. Cruger, J. F. Barnard, C. W. Swift, H. A.
Nelson, J. H. Ketcham, H. H. Hustis, Albert
Emans, J. B. Dutcher, J. B. Carpenter, Benson J.
Lossing, John S. Thome, John H. Otis, Isaac W.
White, William S. Johnston, Gilbert Dean, A.
Wager, H. H. Sincerbox, Joel Benton, Richard
Peck, WiUiam Chambeflain, Henry Staats and
Herrick Thome for Duchess county , and Henry
Hogeboom, Theodore Miller, Darius Peck, WiUiam
H. Tobey, O. L. Beale, D. S. Cowles, H. H. Til-
den, J. G. Palen, R. F. Clark, S. G. Tompkins,
John C. Collins, A. T. Miller, S. S. Wynkoop, S.
W. Tobey and Capt. Ashley, of Columbia county.
The joint committee met at Poughkeepsie, July
17, 1862, and on motion of Mr. Lossing resolved
to request the Governor to change the regimental
camp for this military district from Tivoli to Hud-
son. This change was authorized July 25, 1862,
by General Order No. 378.
It was also resolved : —
" That, having in view the relative population of
the counties of Duchess and Columbia, the county
of Duchess is required to furnish as her proportion
of a regiment of 1,010 rank and file, 585 men,
and the county of Columbia, 425, and that the ex-
ecutive committee of each county be requested
to take such action in apportioning the same upon
their said counties as may be deemed most effect-
ive, in their judgment, for the speedy raising of
such numbers respectively."
The executive committees were "requested to
obtain subscriptions to meet the incidental ex-
penses (not ptherwise provided for,) connected
with the raising of the regiment." At that meet-
ing Mr. Wager presented the application of P.
Chichester, of Poughkeepsie, to be enrolled as the
first recruit in the regiment.
George Parker opened a recruiting office in the
armory of the " Ellsworth Greys," in the city hall
of Poughkeepsie, July 22, 1862. On the 23dj F.
N. Sterling and S. C. Doty were associated with
him in a call for recruits for the new regiment.
Robert F. Wilkinson, who was appointed and duly
, THE WAR OF THE REBELLION, CALL OF JULY 2D, 1862.
149
authorized to enlist recruits for this district, opened
an office at No. 2 Union street. John A. Van-
Keuren, Dewitt C. Underwood and John P. Wil-
kinson also signed a call for recruits, having opened
an office in the court house in Poughkeepsie.
About the same time George Veitch, of RhineclifF,
engaged to raise a company for the district regi-
ment in Rhinebeck.
David S. Cowles, of Hudson, was chosen Colonel
of the regiment to be raised in this district ;
and Capt. Alexander Annan, of Fishkill, Quarter-
master. Capt. Annan had seen considerable ser-
vice in the South, especially in the neighborhood
of Corinth. Capt. Abram Ashley, of Chatham
Four Corners, was soon after appointed Adjutant.
The quotas of the several towns in this county
under the call of July 2, 1862, and their popula-
tion in i860, are shown in the following table : —
Pop. in i860. Quota.
Amenia 2,288 35
Beekman i,37f 21
Clinton 1,922 3°
Dover 2,305 36
East Fishkill 2,544 39
Fishkill 9>S46 i47
Hyde Park 2,749 43
LaGrange 1,850 29
Milan 1,522 24
North East i,73S 27
Pawling 1,743 27
Pine Plains •• 1,412 22
Pleasant Valley 2,343 36
Poughkeepsie, (town) 3,122 48
" (city) 14,726 227
Red Hook 3,964 61
Rhinebeck 3,289 51
Stanford 2,323 36
Union Vale i,S°2 23
Washington 2,685 42
Duchess County 64,941 1,004
The following communication explains itself and
evinces the earnestness with which the promotion
of enlistments was entered into : —
''Executive Committee for Duchess County: —
" We beg leave to place in the hands of your
committee the sum of two hundred and fifty dol-
lars to be distributed as follows : $100 to the cap-
tain of the first company from this county mus-
tered into the service at our District Camp ; $75
to the captain of the second company so mustered
in ; $50 to the captain of the third company so
mustered in ; and $25 to the captain of the fourth
company so mustered into service.
" Very respectfully, C. W. Swift,
James Emott,
George Innis,
M. Vassar, Jr.,
A. Van Kleeck."
A large and stirring war meeting was held in the
Baptist Church at Pawling Station July 25th, over
which Hon. John B. Dutcher presided, assisted by
Duncan Campbell and David Gould. The church
was filled to its utmost capacity at an early hour
by the people of that vicinity, a large number of
them ladies. The Rev. Mr. Ferguson, of the
Methodist Church at that place, opened the meet-
ing with prayer. This was followed by an intro-
ductory speech by A.. B. Smith, of Poughkeepsie.
Gen. Lewis Wallace then addressed an earnest ap-
peal to the patriotism of the young men of the
vicinity, and was followed in a most eloquent and
impressive speech by George W. Sterling. A propo-
sition was then made to offer a bounty for each
recruit in the town of Pawling, when a few liberal
gentlemen present pledged to pay to each person
on enlisting the sum of $25 as a bounty in addi-
tion to the National and State bounties. An en-
thusiastic and well attended meeting was held at
Beekmanville on the 24th, and addressed by the
same gentlemen.
The district war committee arranged for meet-
ings to be held throughout the county as follows : —
August 7th, at Red Hook, to be addressed by Hons.
James Emott and Gilbert Dean, at Arthursburg, by
Allard Anthony and Hon. Homer A. Nelson, at
Bangall, by Messrs. A. B. Smith and O. W. Whea-
ton, at Rhinebeck, by Hon. John Thompson and
A. Wager ; August 8th, at Mabbettsville, by Hon.
James Emott and C. Wheaton, at Pleasant Valley,
by Hons. Gilbert Dean and John Thompson, at
LaFayetteville, by A. Wager and A. B. Smith, at
Clove, (D. D. Vincent's hotel,) by A. Anthony and
H. A. Nelson ; August 9th, at Gay Head, by Hons.
J. Emott and G. Dean, at Wappingers Falls, (at
Odd Fellows Hall,) by Charles Wheaton, at South
Dover, (Wheeler's hotel,) by Hon. H. A. Nelson
and A. Anthony, and at CUnton Hollow, by A. B.
Smith and A. Anthony.
August 4, 1862, the President issued a call for
300,000 militia for nine months, unless sooner dis-
charged, and a draft was ordered to take place Aug.
15, 1862, to supply any deficiency in the quota
at that time. The quota of New York under this
call was 60,000 ; and though enlistments were in-
vited to fill this call, a draft for that purpose was
ordered from the militia of the State on the 9th of
August.
Early in August the organization of the district
regimept was nearly completed and a regimental
camp had been formed in Hudson. There the
recruits from this county were rapidly concentrat-
15°
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
ing, under, the efficient efforts put forth to that end.
The Amenia Times of that period said : " Spirited
and enthusiastic meetings have been held the past
week in eastern Duchess to faciHtate enlistments
and have met with success. The patriotism of the
people has been thoroughly aroused, and in spite
of the busy season and short notice of meetings, a
full attendance was secured in every instance." In
all parts of the county the demonstrations of popu-
lar sentiments were of a similar character. Says
\>!\& Poughkeepsie Eagle of August 9th, "enlistments
are brisk and constantly becoming more so." The
town of Union Vale, one of the least populous in
the county, had at that time furnished from 60 to
75 recruits from the commencement of the war.
August 8, 1862, a large and enthusiastic war
meeting was held at Mabbettsville, John S. Thorn
presided, assisted by John Sweezy and Samuel
Thorn, vice-presidents, and George Sweet, secre-
tary. It was addressed by Hon. James Emott and
Charles Wheaton, who explained at length the
issues pending and the great importance of sus-
taining the government.
August 9, 1862, the citizens of Pine Plains and
adjacent country met at Stissing Hall. After or-
ganizing by choosing R. Peck, chairman, and C.
Pitcher, secretary, the assembly adjourned to the
open air, owing to the crowded condition of the
hall, and was addressed by Revs. J. Reynolds, Wm.
N. Sayre and Wm. Bloomer, Messrs. H. H. Morse
and Wm. R. Woodin, and Lieut. Low, from the
balcony of A. T. Jones' hotel. The addresses had
a telling eifect upon the audience, " kindling a per-
fect blaze of enthusiasm." A long series of stirring
resolutions were adopted.
August 13, 1862, a mass meeting was held at
Pine's Hall, in Poughkeepsie. At an earlier hour
than usual the stores of the city were mostly closed
that the merchants and others might attend. The
spacious hall was well filled by an appreciative and
enthusiastic audience, including a goodly number
of ladies in the gallery. Hon. James Emott
called the meeting to order and nominated the fol-
lowing officers : President, Hon. Stephen Baker ;
Vice-Presidents, Charles E. Bostwick, of Amenia'
Jeremiah Sheldon, of Beekman, John S. Wing, of
Clinton, Obed Wing, of Dover, Lawrence 'c.
Rapelji, of East FishkiU, James Mackin, of Fish-
kill, James M. Friss, of Hyde Park, Albert Emans,
of La Grange, Herrick Thome, of Milan, John
Campbell, of North East, S. A. Barnum, of Paw-
hng» Cornelius Pitcher, of Pine Plains, John W
Lattin, of Pleasant Valley, Anthony Woolsey, of
Poughkeepsie, (town,) Henry C. Smith, James H.
Dudley, George R. Gaylord, Henry W. Shaw,
(Josh Billings,) of Poughkeepsie, (city,) George
Shoemaker, of Red Hook, Andrew J. Heermance,
of Rhinebeck, Isaac G. Sands, of Stanford, Wm.
R. Bagely, of Union Vale, David S. Tallman, of
Washington; Secretaries, Hon. A. Wager, Rhine-
beck, Hon. John B. Dutcher, Amenia, John F. Hull
and O. J. Gaylord, Poughkeepsie. A pointed
speech was made by Mr. Emott, after which the
" Star Spangled Banner " was sung by Mr. Hay-
man, the audience joining in the chorus. Charles
Wheaton, of Poughkeepsie, Wm. H. Bostwick, of
Amenia, Joseph C. Doughty, of Poughkeepsie,
John H. Ketcham, of Dover, David Warren, of
Washington, and T. V. W. Brinckerhoff, of East
Fishkill, were appointed a committee on resolutions.
Addresses full of energf and eloquence were
made by Hon. John Thompson, AUard Anthony
and A. B. Smith, all being received with bursts of
applause.
The following day, August 12th, another large
meeting assembled in Pine's Hall, in Poughkeepsie,
composed mostly of working men, the chief object
being to aid in obtaining recruits. The meeting
was called to order by C. W. Swift and Mayor
James Bowne chosen president. After an eloquent
address by Judge Bowne, of Orange county, Hon.
James Emott presented the proposition of another
gentleman to give $10 each to the first five re-
cruits who enlisted that night. Speeches were
made by Mayor Bowne, William Schwab, Hon.
John Thompson, Hon. Gilbert Dean and Mark
D. Wilber. Mr. Schwab spoke briefly in German
and afterwards in English, awakening a general
enthusiasm by his energetic appeals.
A large and enthusiastic meeting was held at
Mabbettsville August 13th, and spirjj:ed speeches
were made by Judge Nelson and Allard Anthony.
Mone^ was freely offered. After the meeting, a
supper was given to the volunteers— twenty-two in
number— Capt. Bostwick and Lieut. Dutcher, who
were organizing the company, were present and
added greatly to the spirit which prevailed. The
Stanfordville band did much to enliven the occa-
sion.
At Wappingers Falls, August 14th, the departure
of twenty-one volunteers for Camp Kelly, at Hud-
son, was made the occasion of a public demonstra-
tion. The factories at that place were stopped
and the population turned out en masse to escort
them to Fishkill Landing, where they were joined
by others of Capt. De Wint's Company. A meet-
'^E WAR OF THE REBELLION, THE i28th REGIMENT.
IS'
ing of the operatives of the Duchess Print Works,
at Wappingers Falls was held the 13th, for the
purpose of providing some means for the support
of the families of those of their number who
might be drafted under the recent government
order. It was agreed that each person should
contribute toward that object two per cent, of his
monthly earnings.
A meeting of the patriotic citizens of La Grange
was held August 14th, and largely attended. Ad-
dresses were made by Albert Emans and Gilbert
Dean. As a result of the meeting a sufficient
amount was subscribed to give to each volunteer
from that town $55 extra bounty.
On the 1 8th of August a workingmen's meeting
was held at the armory of the Montgomery Guards
in Poughkeepsie, at which a large number of the
bone and sinew of the city were present. Speeches
were made by Phineas H. Beach, William Har-
low, a carpenter of Poughkeepsie, A. S. Pease,
Jeremiah Eighmie, of East Fishkill, and A. B.
Smith, of Poughkeepsie. Good feeling pre-
vailed and several volunteers were added to the
Montgomery Guards. On the 19th Capt. Robert
McConnell of the company, left Poughkeepsie for
the camp at Hudson with thirty-eight men.
The town of Clinton, which, says the Pough-
keepsie Eagle of August 21st, 1862, "has had the
name of being far behind her sister towns in fur-
nishing men for the armies of the Republic," " is
now thoroughly aroused. The hearts and pockets
of all are in the work and are putting forth every
effort to fill up her quota * * * * with
volunteers.''
A war meeting was held at Clinton Hollow, Aug.
1 8th, at which the town was well represented.
The meeting was called to order by Supervisor
John S. Wing, and Stephen H. Smith chosen chair-
man. Speeches were made by Capt. George
Parker, Edward Wickes and others. It was unani-
mously resolved to give to each volunteer accredited
to the town between July 3d and Sept. i, 1862,
$200, to be assessed upon the taxable property of
the town. A local military committee, consisting
of Gilbert Bently, Stephen H. Smith, Thomas
Doty, Abraham Leroy, Philip H. Moore, John G.
Halsted, Tilly Grouse, Smith Eckert, Frederick C.
Filkins and Morgan Traver, was appointed to
superintend volunteering in the town and authorized
to borrow a sum sufficient to secure the object
proposed in the resolutions, and to disburse the
same. The resolutions were also brought before
the meeting at Schultzville, August 20th and con-
firmed. These measures had the effect to stimu-
late enlistments in the town.
Under the stimulus of these meetings and others
held elsewhere in the county, recruiting progressed
with great activity, and by the 27th of August, so
says the Hudson Star, more than a thousand men
were rendezvoused in Camp Kelly in that city.
August 14th, Francis W. Van Wagner, of Pough-
keepsie, was appointed Provost Marshal of Duch-
ess county. August 15th, J. J. Smith, of the same
city, was appointed military instructor for the reg-
iment forming at Hudson; and on the i6th, the
district war committee recommended Capt. James
Smith, of Poughkeepsie, for Lieut-Colonel .of the
regiment, and Capt. Foster, of Hudson, for Major.
Both had served a year in the field and were well
qualified.
Of the officers of the district regiment, which
was designated the 128th, the following were from
Duchess county : Lt. Col., James Smith, Pough-
keepsie; Quartermaster, Alexander' Annan, Fish-
kill; ist Asst. Surgeon, C. H. Andrus, Poughkeepsie;
Commissary Sergeant, E.' Augustus Brett, Fish-
kill; Quartermaster Sergeant, George S. Drake,
Amenia; Ordnance Sergeant, John Matthews, Jr.,
Matteawan ; Color Sergeant, James M. Braley,
Rhinebeck. Companies B, C, D, F, H and I, were
raised in this county, and were officered as follows :
Co. B, (which contained 17 enlisted men from
Washington, 13 from Amenia, 13 from North
East, 7 from Pine Plains, 13 from Dover, 15 from
Pawling, and 18 from Stanford,) Captain, Charles
E. Bostwick, Amenia, 1st Lieut., Thomas N.
Dutcher, Dover, 2d Lieut., Jeremiah S. Pearce,
Pawling; Co. C, (which contained 32 enlisted men
from Rhinebeck, 24 from Milan, 21 from Red
Hook, 13 from Clinton, i from Washington, 3
from Hyde Park, and 7 from Stanford,) Captain,
Francis S. Keese, Rhinebeck, ist Lieut., Howard
H. Morse, Rhinebeck, 2d Lieut., Thomas N.
Davies, Milan ; Co. D, (which contained 56 en-
listed men from Poughkeepsie, 9 from Hyde Park,
I from Amenia, 6 from Pleasant Valley, 4 from
Pine Plains, i from Dover, i from Stanford, 5
from Clinton, i from LaGrange, 1 from Wash-
ington, I from Pawling, i from Beekman, i from
Fishkill, and 11 from Columbia county,) Captain,
George Parker, Poughkeepsie, ist Lieut., Francis
N. Sterling, Poughkeepsie, and 2d Lieut., Spencer
C. Doty, Poughkeepsie ; Co. F, (which contained
48 enlisted men from Fishkill, 16 from Pawling, 6
from Stanford, 4 from Washington, 2 from Amenia,
3 from North East, 3 from Dover, 6 from Pine
IS2
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
Plains, I from Rhinebeck, i from Red Hook^ and
2 from Columbia county,) Captain, A. DeWint, ist
Lieut., J. J. Williamson, 2d Lieut., C. A. Ander-
son, all of Fishkill ; Co. H, (which contained 49
enlisted men from Fishkill, 16 from East Fishkill,
24 from Poughkeepsie, 2 from Hyde Park, 2 from
Union Vale, and i from Beekman,) Captain, John
A. Van Keuren, Poughkeepsie, ist Lieut., Henry
H. Sincerbox, and 2d Lieut., Sylvester H. Morse,
both of Fishkill ; Co. I, (which contained 28 en-
listed men from 'Poughkeepsie, 18 from Union
Vale, 13 from LaGrange, 8 from Clinton, 2 from
Hyde Park, 2 from Amenia, 2 from East Fishkill,
10 from Pawling, and i from Pleasant Valley,)
Captain, Robert F. Wilkinson, ist Lieut., Freder-
ick Wilkinson, 2d Lieut., John P. Wilkinson, all of
Poughkeepsie. In addition Hyde Park furnished
14 enlisted men. Red Hook, 3, and CHnton, i,
towards Co. K of that regiment.
The 128th regiment was mustered for three
years, Sept. 4, 1862. August 30th, the ladies of
Poughkeepsie and Fishkill presented the regiment
with a national flag at Hudson, which city it left
for the seat of war on the steamer Oregon, Sept.
5, 1862. It proceeded to Camp Millington, near
Baltimore, where it was engaged, in doing picket
duty, and was for a short period stationed at Har-
per's Ferry. It was soon after brigaded with the
iioth, 114th and ii6th N. Y. and 38th Mass. reg-
iments Bnder Gen. Emory, and Oct. 2, 1862, re-
ceived marching orders, but did not leave Camp
Millington till Nov. 5th, when it embarked on the
steamer Arago, forming a part of Banks' Expedi-
tion, and after lying off Fortress Monroe about a
month, occasionally going on shore to drill, set
sail from Hampton Roads at noon on the 4th of
December, in company with the Atlantic, Baltic
and Ericsson, convoyed by the iron-clad, Augusta,
carrying eight large guns, while another column^
composed of the Thames, United States, Curlew,
Pocahontas and one or two other small vessels
kept nearer shore. On the 14th they came to
anchor in the harbor of Ship Island, where lay the
Northern Light, on board of which was the 159th,
raised in Columbia, and, partially, in Duchess'
county. On the 15th they commenced the ascent
of the Mississippi, and debarked, after forty-one
days spent on ship board, at Quarantine, seventy-
two miles below New Orleans, where they were de-
tained three weeks, on account of disease engen-
dered by their long stay on shipboard and the ab
■^ence of regular exercise. Jan. 5, 1863, the regi-
ment was removed to Camp Chalmette, the battle
field of New Orleans. February 7, 1863, it was
stationed at Camp Parapet, near New Orleans,
where excellent precautions were taken to restore
and preserve the health of the regiment by flooring
the tents. March 4, 1863, (at which time the
health of the men was steadily and rapidly improv-
ing,) of the number who embarked on the Arago,
27 had died, 25 had been discharged for disability,
136 were awaiting transportation to New Orleans
from Baltimore and Fortress Monroe, 531 were re-
ported for duty, and 149 were reported by the sur-
geons unfit for duty, though the sickness of the
latter was mainly shght.
The regiment bore a conspicuous part in the
movements in Louisiana. May 12, 1863, it and
the 6th Michigan, under command of Col. Clark,
of the latter regiment,- left camp in light marching
order, and embarked on platform and cattle cars
on the New Orleans and Jackson Railroad, a half
mile in rear of their camp. They proceeded by
rail to Manchac Pass, the' junction of Lakes Pon-
chartrain and Maurepas, at which point the rail-
road bridge was burnt. A crossing was effected
by means of flat boats, and after a very tiresome
march of six miles through a dense cypress swamp,
over the railroad trestle, halted for the night. The
march was resumed at one o'clock the next morn-
ing, and by daylight they arrived within a mile of
Ponchatoula, where skirmishers were thrown out
and lines of battle formed. In this manner they
advanced upon the town, which the rebel infantry
had left two hours before. Their cavalry re-
mained, but decamped after firing a few rounds.
At Ponchatoula they were joined by several hun-
dred federal cavalry, who had made a forced
march from Baton Rouge. They returned on the
19th, and reached Camp Parapet, at dark.
The regiment left camp toward night of the
next day, and at 2 a. m. embarked on the steamer
United States at Carrolton. In company with
the steamships Crescent, Creole, Sallie Robinson
and Iberville, the expedition comprisingthe brigades
of Nickerson and Dow and a part of the 2d
brigade of Sherman's division, they proceeded up
the river, reaching Baton Rouge at night. The
next day they proceeded to Springfield Landing,
just below Port Hudson, whence they marched to
the rebel works at Port Hudson, leaving their
knapsacks, blankets and camp equipage on board
to be returned to Baton Rouge.
The rebel works at Port Hudson encompassed
the town, resting upon the river above and below
it, and were encircled by a wide, deep moat.
THE WAR OF THE REBELLION, THE 128TH IN THE FIELD.
153
Sherman's division, to which the 128th belonged,
occupied the federal left. Augur's, the center, and
Banks', the right. Gen. Banks, who had charge
of the operations, ordered a general assault at 2
o'clock p. M. on the 27 th of May. Ten minutes
before the appointed time, the ist Vermont and
9th Indiana batteries, connected with the brigade
to which the 128th belonged, emerged at a gallop
from the edge of the woods in which they were
masked, took position in front of the rebel works,
and opened a terrific fire of shells. The infantry
were immediately and rapidly advanced from the
edge of the woods, where they were formed in line
of battle. Full six hundred yards of level plain
intervened between them and the formidable para-
pet, from which a terrific fire was instantly poured ;
and so destructive was it, that at the first discharge.
Gens. Sherman and Dow and Col. Clark, the next
in command, fell wounded, and the assaulting
column wavered and broke. The command then
devolved on Col. Cowles, of the 128th, who rallied
the men and rushed forward amid a ceaseless
storm of iron and lead. Col. Cowles fell, pierced
by six bullets, when the enemy's works were
nearly reached, and though he lived nearly an
hour, would not suffer himself to be carried from
the field. "Tell my mother," were his last words,
"that I die with my face to the enemy. Boys,
have I not done my duty as a man and a soldier?"
The unequal contest was continued for four hours,
Farragut's fleet co-operating and keeping up a
very heavy fire, but it was a futile effort. The 1 28th
lost 20 in killed and 79 in wounded, which one
account says was one-fourth of its force in action.
Col. Cowles was the only officer killed or wounded,
except Capt. DeWint, who was slightly wounded.
The attempt to carry the rebel works at Port
Hudson by assault was renewed on the 14th of
June, but was, like the first, unsuccessful, though
a more advantageous position was gained. The
casualties in the 128th in that action was one
killed and twenty wounded. Among the latter
were Capt. G. W. Van Slyck and Lieut. John P.
Wilkinson, Acting Adjutant, both slightly. Both
were on duty within a few days.
Lieut. Col. Smith was promoted to the Colonelcy
of the 128th in June, 1863, and later that year, Capt.
Francis M. Keese was promoted Major in place of
Major Giff'ord, who was taken prisoner at Port Hud-
son May 26, 1863, and died from fever at New
Orleans, August 8, 1863. Major Keese was from
Rhinebeck, and a son of John M. Keese, then the
postmaster at that place.
Col. Smith, writing from before Port Hudson
July 6, 1863, at which time the 128th was attached
to the ist brigade, 2d division, 19th cqrps, thus re-
capitulates the losses sustained by the regiment to
that time : —
The number of men enlisted in the regiment
was 1,021
-The number of men mustered in the regi-
ment Sept. 4, 1862, was 993
Killed in action, on picket, skirmish-
ing, etc 23
Died of disease 63
Died from wounds 2
Discharged for disability 77
Missing 6
Deserted 62
Present strength
\ Commissioned officers 33
J Enlisted men 727760 993
Wounded in action and by accident since
the regiment had been in the service,
nearly all of whom would return to duty, 79
The fall of Vicksburg made Port Hudson unten-
able, and it was surrendered July 8, 1863. The
128th was one of the two regiments selected from
the division to occupy the place, and receive the
surrender of arms and munitions from the rebel
gan-ison. July nth, the regiment was detailed to
escort a large train of artillery from Port Hudson
to Baton Rouge, a distance of twenty-five miles.
The march was made in one night.
July isth, the regiment was assigned to the 3d
brigade, 3d division, (which was soon after changed
to the 2d brigade, ist division,) and left Baton
Rouge with the brigade on transports for Donald-
son ville. La., where our forces had been attacked
and driven back. There it remained till August
2d, when it was detached and sent up the river
some ten or twelve miles above Donaldsonville, to
prevent guerillas from attacking or firing on pass-
ing boats. August itth it was ordered to the
village of Plaquemine, fifteen miles higher up the
river, whence, on the 29th of that month, it pro-
ceeded to Baton Rouge, where it was encamped
directly in the rear of the State penitentiary.
While there the regiment was engaged in picket
duty, drills, parades, etc., and their old colors,
which were so much worn as to be unserviceable,
were exchanged for new ones, the gift of the citi-
zens of Poughkeepsie, the ladies being the prime
movers in the affair. The losses of the regiment
from various causes from July i to Sept. 3,- 1863,
were 59 officers and men.
The 128th participated with a part of Banks'
forces in an engagement on Cane River, April 23,
154
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
1864, and lost one killed and about twenty wound-
ed, only three or four dangerously so.
At the close of the Red River Expedition the
regiment returned to New Orleans, and was sent
thence to the Shenandoah Valley, where it served
under Sheridan, participating in the brilliant en-
gagements which distinguished that intrepid
commander.
About the middle of September, Sheridan, who
had been engaged in skirmishing both of an offen-
sive and defensive character, was instructed by
Grant to attack Early's army, at the risk of ex-
posing Maryland and Pennsylvania to invasion,
with a view to recovering the use of the Baltimore
& Ohio Railroad and the Chesapeake & Ohio
Canal. On the 19th of September, Sheridan
attacked Early, who was posted on the west bank
of Opequan Creek, covering Winchester, and after
a fierce engagement, which, for most of the day,
remained undecisive, drove him from his posi-
tion. In this engagement the 128th was com-
manded by Major Keese, Lt. Col. Foster being in
command of the 3d brigade, 2d division. The
regiment lost 7 killed, 57 wounded, and 8 missing.
Among the wounded was Major Keese. " There
was scarcely a man in the regiment," says Lt. Col.
Foster, " who had not some portion of his clothing
or accouterments struck.'' The colors were pierced
by eleven bullets. Early rallied his fleeing army at
Fisher's Hill, twelve miles from the battle-field of
Opequan, and one of the strongest positions in the
valley, which is here bisected by the Mansanutten
Mountains interposing between the Blue Ridge and
Shenandoah Mountains. Sheridan attacked and
drove him from this almost impregnable position
late on the 21st. The 128th formed a part of the
assaulting column, and were selected to charge the
right of the enemy's works, which they carried
with singularly hght casualties, losing only two
killed and six wounded, notwithstanding the scath-
ing fire to which they were subjected. The regi-
ment was complimented for its gallantry on this
occasion by Generals Sheridan, Emory and Grover
Gen. Emory pronouncing their charge the hand-
somest thing he ever saw.
Sheridan pursued the retreating enemy through
Harrisonburg, Staunton, and the gaps of the Blue
Ridge. In a week, says Draper, he had destroyed
or captured half of Early's army, and driven the
rest southward. Having devastated the valley so
thoroughly, that, it was said, if a crow wants to fly
down it he must carry his provisions with him, he
returned toward Strasburg, posted his army in
echelon behind the bold bluffs which skirt the north
bank of Cedar Creek, and proceeded to Washing-
ton to consult with the Secretary of War respect-
ing the return of the 6th corps to that city.
On the 1 8th of October, Early, whose force had
been restored to its original strength by the addi-
tion of Kershaw's division, crossed Cedar Creek,
and at daybreak on the 19th, under cover of a dense
fog surprised and attacked the national army
with great fury. They first fell upon the unsus-"
pecting 8th corps, whose camp was overrun in over-
powering numbers before the men had time to dress
themselves. They fled in the wildest confusion,
many almost in a state of nudity, closely followed
by the rebels. Rout and disaster to the entire
army was imminent in the confusion which ensued
and a reformation of the line became unavoidable.
Gen. Wright, on whom the command devolved in
the temporary absence of Sheridan, who was then
in Winchester, had, though wounded, succeeded in
checking the advance of the enemy, and made the
disposition of his forces, with which, later in the
day, Sheridan achieved the glorious victory which
immortaUzed his name. Lieut. Col. Foster of the
128th, writing from camp near Cedar Creek, Oct.
24, 1864, said, referring to this engagement : "Cer-
tainly, as it has resulted ultimately, it is one of the
most substantial victories of this, as it is one of the
most remarkable battles of any war." The casu-
alties of the 128th in that engagement were two
commissioned officers missing and one wounded
a,nd six enlisted men killed, fourteen wounded, and
eighty missing.
From the valley the 128th went to Savannah,
and thence to Augusta, where it joined Sherman
and went with him through the Carolinas to Raleigh.
From thence it went to Morehead City and back
to Savannah j thence to Augusta, which it garri-
soned for about six weeks, wlien it returned to
Savannah, was mustered out July 12, 1865, and
sent to Albany to be paid off. The regiment went
out with nearly a thousand men, and though it
received quite a number of recruits, returned with
only five hundred. The officers were : Capt. T.
M. Davis, who went out as 1st Lieutenant, com-
manding the regiment; Ambrose B. Hart, who went
out as corporal, Adjutant; J. Mortimer Craven,
Surgeon ; Wm. H. B. Post, Assistant Surgeon ;
Lieut. Crafts, who went out as corporal, command-
ing Co. A; Capt. Pierce, who went out as 2d
Lieutenant ; and ist Lieutenant White,'who went
out as private, Co. B ; Lieutenant Hager and 2d
Lieutenant Asher, both of whom went out as Ser-
THE WAR OF THE REBELLION, THE isoth REGIMENT.
iSS
geants, Co. C ; Lieutenant Armstrong, who went
out as Orderly Sergeant, Co. D ; Lieutenant Keese,
who went out as Orderly Sergeant, Co. E ; Capt.
Anderson, who went out as ist Lieutenant; and
ist Lieutenant Van Tine, who went out as Ser-
geant, Co. F ; Capt. Mitchell, who went out as
Sergeant, and Lieutenant Moreil, who went out as
private, Co. G ; Capt. Sincerbox, who went out as
ist Lieutenant ■ and ist I^ieutenant Benson, who
went out as Sergeant, Co. H; Capt. Wilkinson,
who went out as ist Lieutenant j and ist Lieut.
Schouten, who went out as private, Co. I; ist
Lieutenant Speed, who went out as private Co K.
The return of the regiment was appropriately
welcomed by the towns from which the several com-
panies went, and in some cases was made the occa-
sion of imposing celebrations.
CHAPTER XVI.
Measures Instituted for the Raising of a
Duchess County Regiment — Regimental
Camp at Poughkeepsie Authorized — War
Meetings and Measures to Promote Enlist-
ments— Great Activity in Recruiting — Camp
Duchess — Character of the Men Composing
the 1 50TH Regiment— Presentation of a Stand
OF Colors — Muster and Departure of the
150TH FOR THE Seat of War — Arrival of Trife
Regiment at Baltimore — Joins the Army of
THE Potomac — Participates in the Battle of
Gettysburg — Transferred to the Army of
THE Cumberland — The Atlanta Campaign —
Sherman's March to the Sea — Toilsome and
Perilous March Through the Carolinas —
Last Battle of the isoth — March Through
Richmond to Washington — The Return^—
Muster Out and Welcome Home.
A MEETING of the Executive Committee
of the district war committee was held
August 19th, and preliminary arrangements were
made for securing a full enrollment of all liable to
do military duty in the county, and for promoting
further enlistments. It was also
Resolved, That, as.it has been ascertained that
the whole quota of Duchess county is 2,008 men
under both calls, and no provision is made by the
County for bounties beyond the present regiment,
that we recommend an immediate meeting of the
Board of Supervisors of the County to consider the
propriety of offering adequate bounties to secure
the remaining men needed without a draft."
The quotas of the different towns under the call
of August 4th were the same as those under that
of July 2d.
August 22, 1862, the Board of Supervisors met
at the suggestion of the war committee and
authorized the County Treasurer to borrow a sum
sufficient to pay a bounty of $50 to every volun-
teer who had enlisted since July 2, 1862, or who
should thereafter enlist, provided he had not
already received any bounty from the county, and
that he enlisted under such circumstances as to be
credited to this county in case of a draft. They
also directed an application to the Legislature for
a law authorizing the issue of bonds to the amount
thus borrowed and expended for bounties, such
bonds to be payable in ten annual installments.
They further resolved " that the county ought and
is able to raise the whole number called for on
both quotas by volunteering, thus avoiding the in-
convenience and disgrace of a draft," and " that
the war committee to this end be requested to
take immediate steps for the organization of a
Duchess County Regiment of volunteers for the
war," and " pledging themselves to spare no exer-
tions to form and fill such regiment."
Pursuant to this action the executive war com-
mittee that night dispatched Alfred B. Smith, of
Poughkeepsie, one of the general committee, to
Albany, to obtain permission from the Governor
to raise a Duchess county regiment, with camp at
Poughkeepsie.*
August 26, i862j the war committee, which met
in Poughkeepsie the previous day, selected Hon.
John H. Ketcham, of Dover, for Colonel of the
Duchess county regiment, Alfred B. Smith, of
Poughkeepsie, for Major, George R. Gaylord, for
Quartermaster, and William Thompson, for Adju-
tant. This action was personally communicated
by Major Smith to the Governor and was ratified
by hirti.
Permission was immediately given to Joseph H.
Cogswell, Robert McConnell, Henry A. Gilder-
sleeve, William R. Woodin, Andris Brant, John
Green, Edward Wickes, Edward Crummy, Benja-
min S. Broas and John S. Schofield to recruit for
the new regiment, and those gentlemen subse-
quently became captains of their respective com-
panies, designated in the order named from A to
K. They were assisted by those who afterwards
became Lieutenants of the several companies.
* We are indebted largely for the data from which the history of the
I soth regiment is prepared, to Gen. A. B. Smith, of Poughkeepsie, who
was officially connected with the regiment during the period of its
iS6
HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
The executive branch of the war committee
arranged for war meetings to be held as follows:
at Bull's Head, (Noxon's,) August 30th; at. Clin-
ton Hollow and Pawling Station, Sept. ist; at
Washington Hollow and Ameniaville, Sept. 2d ; at
South Dover and Pleasant Valley, Sept. 3d; at
Beekmanville and Upper Red Hook, Sept. 4th;
at Millerton and Freedom Plains, Sept. sth; at
Storraville, Hyde Park and Rhinebeck village,
Sept. 6th; at Matteawan and Bangall, Sept. Sth; at
LaFayetteville and Channingville, Sept. 9th. The
following named gentlemen were designated to
address the meetings : Hon. James Emott, Hon.
H. E. Davies, Hon. G. Dean, Hon. John Thomp-
son, Hon. A. Wager, Charles Wheaton, G. W.
Sterling, William Eno, B. J. Lossing, Hon. H. A.
Nelson, Rev. G. W. Lord, Rev. G. F. Kettell,
Rev. J. Scarborough, Rev. L. H. King, Wra. S.
Eno, A. B. Smith, G. H. Swift and A. Anthony.
An enthusiastic war meeting was held at Upper
Red Hook August 23d, and was ably and elo-
quently addressed by Rev. G. L. Piatt, Rev. J. G.
Johnson, A. L. Martin, Z. Weeks and E. Staats.
As a result of this meeting fourteen recruits were
enlisted.
September 3, 1862, Mayor James Bowne issued
the following proclamation : —
"By request of many citizens, and in view of
the importance of unity of action in promoting
enlistments, I, James Bowne, Mayor of the City
of Poughkeepsie, request that all places of busi-
ness be closed each afternoon of the present week,
at 4 o'clock, and that the people use all efforts to
promote enlistments, and also to meet the ex-
igencies of the times."
War meetings were held in the city hall each
evening during the succeeding week, and a free in-
terchange of sentiments on public affairs was had.
The meeting of Saturday evening was composed
of Poughkeepsie's most intelligent citizens. The
hall was crowded. Alderman Shaw presided. Mr.
■Lossing, by invitation, addressed the meeting in a
powerful and manly speech, showing the true rela-
tion of slavery to the then existing troubles of the
country.
At a meeting of the ladies in Poughkeepsie,
Sept. 8, 1862, it was resolved to raise a fund to
provide a stand of colors for the Duchess county
regiment, and such necessary articles of comfort as
were not furnished by the government, also that an
appeal be made to the ladies throughout t